Chelsea Area Historical Society Hosts Talk by Slot Machine Restorer and Artisan

The Chelsea Area Historical Society (CAHS) will be hosting local artisan Bill Darwin, who specializes in stained glass and slot machine restoration, this Sept. 8 at the Chelsea Depot, starting at 7 p.m.

Having been involved in glasswork since he was 16 and apprenticing for his father, Darwin has also been restoring antique slot machines as a business for over 30 years. He became particularly in high demand during and after the 2020 COVID outbreak, when a larger number of people began inheriting antiques from older generations.

“I love seeing the gratification on people’s faces when they come to pick up their restored machine,” Darwin said. “It’s like they’re reconnecting with a piece of their past.”

All work done on these machines is entirely mechanical.

“There is no electricity involved, and I’m not an electronics guy,” he said. “It’s the mechanical aspect of it—how it works. When I take a machine that’s rusty and broken, clean it up, and see it work again, that’s the really cool part.”

Darwin’s CAHS presentation will include stories from his glassworking days and his newer business endeavor. Tickets are $10 for non-members and free for members. The Chelsea Train Depot is located at 125 Jackson St., Chelsea, MI.