The Cobbler

People don’t often think about history in terms of footwear, but particularly in a colder climate, and a place based on agriculture, shoes were vitally important. In the 1800’s, cobblers served rural New Brunswick communities like Keswick Ridge in a fairly rudimentary way, using basic tools and materials to make moccasins and repair shoes, but eventually adapting to the technologies of wooden and metal lasts for foot casting, like the ones you see here. There is widespread agreement in the community that prior to 1875, the McKeen store was a shoe maker’s shop run by a man named Alban Lawrence, but we haven’t been able to find any actual record of this. Interestingly, the building did spent its last “retail” days as a leatherwork shop (“Middle Earth Leather” run by Barbara and David Murphy) in the early 1980’s.

The history of larger-scale shoe production and availability in the area is tied to Fredericton’s
Hartt Boot & Shoe Company, which was established in 1898 - a fascinating piece of history all on its own!