The record-union., 1892-10-05
SHOEMAKING AT lynn
An Industry Carried on Over Two
Hundred and Fifty Years

'tAuteu anu IutS i ears
The history of the city of Lynn and that
OF Its shoe industry are, chronologically
! speaking, almost Identical. The shoe in
dustry originated in Lynn in 1875, two
years before the terse mandate was pro-
mulgated by the General Court, NoYem-
Der 10, 1867, "Saugust is called Linz
Lynn was originally pretty large
town. Its bounds were sat Charlestown
line, Reading Pond, Ipswich River.
Salem and Nahant."
A lew men, termed cordWinders cord
wainers) in the Plymouth charter were
sent over and laid the foundations of the
shoe business.
Shoemaking has taken front rank
/ among the useful arts. The Pilgrim
Fathers recognized this, and on the third
voyage of the Mayfiower the Governor
and Deputy of the New England Com
pany sent over Cl62S) Thomas Beard and
'lsack" hickman, who were to receive
their dyett and houSeroom at the charge
OF the companie." Hickman went back
THOMAS Beard remained. He was the
hrst shoemaker in New England.
The hrst white men known to have
settled in Lynn 1929 were Edmund In
gals. a brewer, and his brother. Francis
ingalls,, tanner. There was plenty of
raw material. Cattle had been intro
duced by Edward Winslow l62N, and
there were over 200 head, besides horses.
sheep and goats" brought over in the
next six years. There were deer and
moose IN plenty, and, indeed, buckskiu
was the principal wear of the early colon
lists. Frances Ingalls, built his tannery
on what is now Burrill street, on 'Hum-
try's Brook" now part of Swampscott
This, no doubt, gave an impetus to the
! shoe industry. The Burrlll tannery was
established i'll 1850, and stood for almost
200 years. The Burrills were called the
Royal family Of Lynn" John Burrill
was Tor tWenty-One years member and
ten years Speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatives of Massachusetts.
The first Lynn shoemaker was Philip
Kirkland. Little is known of him save
that he came here from Buckinghamshire,
Eng, IN 1888, and made shoes for Boston,
Salem and Lynn people.
Thence commenced the remarkable
growth. In l643 we find the first iron
works in America established in the
town. These industries thrived until
100. About that time an artistic shoe
maker from London came to town and
another impulse was given to the in
| dustry. This man became famous.
Lynn made good record in the Revo-
luton. Meetings were called in 1773, and
the 'tea" and other taxes denounced 4
company of women, emulating the Bos-
ton Tea Party, went to the shops and de-
stroyed all the tea in the town. John
| Mansfield and Ebenezer Burrill, repre-
Senting the shoe and leather trade at that
| time, were members of a Provincial
Congress which convened at Salem in
IVA to choose Committee of Safety.D
Four Lynn men fell at Bunker Hill. The
trade revived after the war, though there
was but little money.
AS early as 1888 Lynn asked that pro-
tective tariff be imposed. 1t was at this
time that Ebenezer Breed, native of the
town, used his wealth and his influence
to improve the trade. After him came
the Johnson family, which accomplished
much toward the building up of the town.
Then came the Breed family, hardly less
well known.
From 1880 to 1910 West Lynn, under the
inspiration of Ebenezer Breed, soon be-
came manufacturing mart, probably the
most tiourishing OF any in the State.
Farming became of secondary import
ance. Large factories were built. The
famous Salem and Boston turnpike was
then completed QSQ3l and an imposing
hotel constructed. The population Of
Lynn increased at this period more than
ever before-from 2,S37 in 1900 to 4, ,0S7 in
1910. ssF
Ebenezer's son, Isaiah, inherited the
spirit of his father. He was progressive
and, above all, philanthropic
At the time when schools were few and
education difficult to obtain he built a
schoolhouse on to his home, and for thirty
years maintained, at a large expense. the
best school in town.
Workmen's mutual benefit associa-
tions were organized in 1914, and in the
same year we find the Lynn Mechanics
Bank incorporated with capital of SI5O.-
900.
In 1882 the first directory of .I,ynn
was published. 1t was a list of shoe
manufacturers. There were sixty. OF
morocco manufacturers there were six
and IN loot note 1t is stated that their
yearly business amounts to a little more
than $50, ,000.''
A few years later John B. Alley, long a
leading citizen of the town. began the
manufacture OF shoes, establishing q
house which was afterward respected
throughout the country. The Eastern
Railroad extended a branch to the CITY in
1855.
The wholesale shoe trade had now in
creased in proportions, and, as might be
expected, did much for the trade in GEN
eral.
In 1850 Lynn was incorporated city.
The population was 1868. The first
Mayor was George Hood, who, like most
Of the inhabitants, had been shoemaker.
and whose industry was rewarded by
success both In business and political
life.
Shortly after the breaking out of the
war of the rebellion there came the appli-
cation of steam and the multiplication of
auxiliary machines. At the present time
everything, except cutting the upperS, is
carried on by machinery and steam
power. Lynn was the first shoe town in
which machinery for shoemaking was
MFR Il Ion mol