The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-11-26
HAS COBBLED SHOES
FOR 68 YEARS
George P. Lund in That Time Has Had
Some Experiences in Going About
the United States.

George P. Lund of y Third street be-
gan work in Pete Depatie's shoe shop
in the Bolster block basement this week
In that fact alone there is nothing un-
usual. for other men have worked for
Mr.. Depatie; but none OF the Others has
started in with record for cobblinc
shoes some 6s years. Therein lies the
significance of Mr.. Lunds first week
with Pete Depatie, himself a cobbler who
has worked over other peoples footwear
years enough to see good many changes
in the methods of making old shoes look
like new.
As a shoemaker, Mr.. Lund has kept
the shoemaker,s faith. He has stuck
to his last. Moreover he is only rs
years young and bids fair to 90 on cob
bling for some time to come. In all
New England, if anywhere in the coun-
try, it is matter of conjecture whether
there is any shoemaker who has stuck
so lasting to his last as Mr.. Lund, Any
how, his friends are quite content to
let the honors rest with him until some
other venerable cobbler comes forward
to claim them.
Shoemaking is something of heri-
tage with Mr.. Lund. Way back in
january. 1898. he first saw the light o.
day in Bradford His father, Joseph
Lund, who died at the ripe age of "a,
was a cobbler whose leather-top boots
had Travelled the soil of Orange county
for so years before young George rubbed
his eyes and decided to make shoes him
self. Over in Orange county there are
old men living to-day who used to go
trutting proudly around neighborhood
wearing the little red-topped and cop
per toed boots that Joe Lund wrought
out of home tanned leather.
"Cat-whipping" is term that one
seldom If ever hears in these days OF
French heels and patent Heather handles
But that's what the elder Lund used
to do in, the off -season for farming
Every winter he started on a long jour
ney through the county, stopping at
every farmhouse to boost his shoe bust
ness. With him he carried his kit, the
hammer, anvil, needle and thread and a
good supply of the shiny copper toe
plates that delighted the Youngsters.
Frequently it so happened that the en-
tire household was ready to be fitted
for shoes or boots. If such were the
case, the itinerant cobbler, or the "cat
whipper" unslung his kit and prepared
to make a stay. Each farmer furnished
his own leather and one side of a beef
hide sometimes furnished more than
one pair of shoes for the children. But
if there was uniformity of leather,
there was individuality in footwear, even
as in these days, for each member had
to be fitted with the pattern that best
suited his or her foot. The shoemakers'
visit occasionally lasted a whole week,
but in the end he had the satisfaction
of raking in a good bit of change and
leaving a household firmly convinced
that it had been well shod for some
time to come.
1t was under the guidance of a past
master in shoe craft, then, that the
Lund drove his first peg the
winter he attained the age of eight.
The father was determined that the
Lund reputation for making substantial
footwear should be continued, so he
early taught his son the rudimentary
branches of the trade. A year after
wards the boy was re-soling shoes and
could go a long ways toward making
, good looking boot. He worked for his |
'ather until 1855, when the latter took |
his kit and went to California George |
P. Lund was a full-hedged shoemaker !
hen, ready to try his skill with the |
,est cobblers in Vermont. Three years |
alter the same wanderlust that had