Curiosity got the better of me and I just called my mom and asked her where the machine came from and this is what she said:
It came from my grandmother!!!!!
Just cannot believe this - in tears now! It is not holding plants but it is underneath the basement stairs and is holding Christmas decorations. My DH is also very excited because he remembers his mother sewing on a treadle and he "helped" her as a small boy - they did not get electricity until he was a teenager.