When I was small we had the old wringer washer, it was in a room with no walls, it only had a roof, it was on the outside of my dad's bar. We did not have a dryer and hung them on a rope between the trees as you had, we had a 2x4 in the middle with a V cut in it. It was to keep the clothes from dragging on the ground.
Now, I have a room with a washer and dryer in it.