2 minute read
Manufacturing Afoot
Above: Women making shoe boxes in the Ayer & Webster factory, Bradford, Massachusetts, 1917.
by JORDAN MEYERL, Senior Archives Cataloguer
Shoe manufacturing has a rich history in Massachusetts. In 1648, local shoemakers formed one of the country’s first guilds to protect their trade. Inventions and other technological advancements in Massachusetts, such as the invention of Charles Goodyear Sr.’s (18001860) rubber vulcanization process in 1839 and Elias Howe Jr.’s (1819-1867) sewing machine in 1846, revolutionized the shoe manufacturing industry. By 1900, 40 percent of the country’s shoes were manufactured in the commonwealth.
The two photographs shown here, recently acquired by the Library and Archives, highlight the importance of shoemaking and associated industries, as well as the crucial role women played in the workforce. The shoe manufacturing industry provided women with increased economic independence and opportunities outside of the home. In 1915, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that more Massachusetts women worked in shoe manufacturing than in any other “factory trade” except for the textile industry. Both images include the names of women photographed on the verso, as well as the names of men photographed who managed or owned the factories, allowing for further research to be conducted about the individuals who worked in these factories.
The photographs also showcase the prevalence of the shoe industry in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Known as the “Queen Slipper City,” Haverhill was once a center of shoe manufacturing. By the end of 1913, an estimated one-tenth of the shoes in the United States were produced there. The Historic New England Center for Preservation and Collections will be housed in the Lang and Burgess buildings, two former shoe factories in Haverhill.
