The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1917-09-27

/ Shoe Repairing co.
Hussey Merrill and family moved
i from Dexter to Skowhegan in 1863.
Mr. Merrill expected to become the
partner of man by the name of
Young, then manufacturing boots and
shoes, in the building which has for
so many years sheltered the Skowhe-
gan Marble Works. When he arriy-
ed, thru the influence of Stephen Co
burn, he was induced to buy out Enos
Robbins who was then doing business
with Frederick Hoyt under the name
of Robbins & Co. These firms were
not shoe manufacturers as they are
known at the present time. Machin
cry had not been introduced in shoe
making. They did make a great many
shoes however employing from five
to forty hands. AS Mr.. Hoyt's part
ner, doing business under the name
of Hoyt & Merrill, Mr.. Merrill con-
tinued for four years. The location
was on the northerly side of Water
I street where the r. H. Merrill & Son
store is now situated. At the end
of four years Mr.. Hoyt retired form
ing partnership with Dudley
Fogg and carrying on similar bust
| ness, on Madison Ave, on the loca
tion for long years occupied by the
F. A. Wood stove store. Mr. Fogg
continued in the same location, for
about ten years, then went out of
business In the meantime Mr. Hoyt
took in his son, Frederick Jr., the CO.
partnership taking the name of Fred
erck Hoyt & Son, their location be-
ing on the southerly side of Water
street where in later years was the
Hotel Oxford, and the Oxford Depart
ment store. This business, in its
last years. carried on by the Elder
Hoyt alone, was continued until his
death. about 1885
Taking up again the story of the
Merrills. it should be noted that, for
four years during which Hussey Mer
rill md Mr.. Hoyt were partners they
operated a tannery which WAS locat-
ed on the Wesserunsett stream, just
below where it crosses the Athens
road, near the Kit Perkins place. Dur
ing this period or a little later. as
many as fifty shoemakers were en-
ployed.
Something should be said here of
to do the shoe making of those days.
Among them were Newton and Luth-
er Buzzell, who afterwards rose to
very responsible positions with the
United Shoe Machinery Co. Rosamus
l.. Mitchell was another shoe maker of
those olden times. b. f. Sturtevant,
who later went to Massachusetts and
made a fortune as a manufacturer, sat
on the shoe makers bench in those
days. He is spoken of as a rather
taciturn man, all the time brooding
over some invention. 1t was while
he was at work in the shop on Water
street that he invented a pegging ma
chine 1t was so perfect, when he
finally brought it out, that no improve
ment or material change was made in
it for forty years. 1t made a sub
stantial fortune for its inventor and
its patent rights were finally sold to
the United Shoe Machinery Co, by
whom it is still manufactured, very
much in its original design, Sturte-
want then went into the blower busi-
ness and his product, under his name,
was shipped to all parts of the world.
1t is said that while studying out his
pegging machine 1t absorbed his earn
ings to such an extent that his credit
became very poor. He had to pawn
his overcoat for a dollar to get this
small sum to purchase material. For
years after leaving Skowhegan he re-
tanned an interest In the town, and