Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, Mass.

Title

Thomas Emerson's Sons Shoe Manufactory Office, circa 1890

Description

"Pictured in the office of the shoe manufactory of Thomas Emerson's Sons at the corner of Main Street and Yale Avenue are (from left) Harry Foster, James Emerson, Miss Carrie Wallace, E. Eugene Emerson and an unidentified gentleman in the derby hat. The company was established by Thomas Emerson in 1805, and was recognized as the oldest and 'one of the most honorable houses in the trade.' By the early 1890s, Thomas' son Thomas, Jr. was 'full of years' and was no longer running the company. He was succeeded by his brother James, who joined the company in 1851, and his own son, Edward Eugene, who joined the company in 1866. Both men were active in the community, with James serving as town treasurer for 25 years and commander of the Richardson Light Guard, and Eugene serving as a bank director and an active member and clerk of the Congregational Church of the First Parish. Thomas Emerson's Sons was a leader of 'fine footwear' and 'practically established the styles' of the day. They were the first shoe manufacturer to successfully operate a McKay 'sewer' stitching machine and were instrumental in introducing many new varieties of leather." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.

Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 2010

Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Historical Society.

Contributor

Institution: Lucius Beebe Memorial Library

Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department (Wakefield, Mass.)

D'Onofrio, Jayne M.

Coverage

Massachusetts--Middlesex (county)--Wakefield

Date

ca. 1890

Format

image/jpeg

Publisher

[Wakefield, Mass.] : Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department

Subject

Shoe Industry

Type

still image

Photographs

Original Format

1 picture : b&w

Extent

17 x 32 cm.