Shoetown
by Martin E. Nass
Several sections of Webster City have had their own unique names over our history, such as Yankeetown, Goose Hill, Lawn Hill, Hoboken, and others. Shoetown is certainly one of the more interesting names.
In April, 1893, two men, E. W. Shoesmith of Galena, Illinois, and James A. Edwards, of Dubuque, Iowa, were business partners when they came to look a large shoe factory location in Webster City. They planned to buy a large tract of land owned by the county, arrange for it to be annexed by Webster City, and plat it into town lots to sell; this would provide financing for the construction of the factory. The Hamilton Freeman on May 24, 1893, showed a sketch of the proposed factory and urged that "… the parties interested in this project are responsible, practical men, and will carry out the plans in good faith. Now is the time for action; now is the time to prove whether Webster City can secure a manufacturing plant that will be of lasting benefit to the town."
The plan was received favorably by the citizens of Webster City, as the men contacted the business people and spoke to the Business Men's Association. A tract of land was purchased on both sides of the Illinois Central RR tracks in the northeast part of town. This land was platted into 250 lots which were sold for $150 each. The sales netted $37,500 for building. The lots were bought by various people. The original lots were unassigned. After all lots were purchased, a drawing was held to determine the ownership of each lot. The plat created several new streets. North-south streets were Park Avenue, and Oak, Maple, and Apple Streets. The east-west streets were Ash, Plum, Hazel, Willow, Cherry, and Hickory. The entire addition was named the Park Addition. Park Avenue ran along the south side of the Catholic Church property and intersected with Rosenkrans Park. Rosenkans Park was Webster City's major park at the time.
Immediately after the completion of the sale, the men went to work on the building. Charlie Swanson had the contract for the foundation, which was started on July 5, 1893. The building was a two-story brick structure with a mansard roof, which in effect served as a third floor. The building measured 40 X 125 feet and was constructed north of Hickory Street, between Oak and Park Streets, and south of the railroad tracks. The cornerstone was laid on August 16, 1893. The Hamilton Freeman reported on August 23rd that "the crowd that assembled at 3 o'clock were delighted with everything they saw. Messrs. Edwards and Shoesmith had erected a platform with seats to accommodate the crowd. W. W. Boak served as president of the day. " The program opened with a song followed by a short address by S. B. Rosenkrans. Prof. A. A. Weaver told about the growth of the town. An address by Wesley Martin was entitled 'The East and the West'." To close the program Rosenkrans read a poem he had written. The building was finished and ready for occupancy by December.
The Galena Gazette reported in September 15, 1893, that "Galena is to lose one of its best industries, the shoe factory of Strohmeyer Bros. who have proposed removal to Webster City, Iowa. An inventory of the stock is now being taken and just as soon as it is completed, the firm will move the machinery to Webster City. Their new building will give the firm three times the floor space they now have. At first the Strohmeyers rejected the offer but, after a $20,000 cash inducement was made, the offer was accepted."
The advertisement pictured in this article for Strohmeyer Shoes appeared in the 1899 City Directory. By that time, the shoes were offered in all shoe stores in Iowa and Minnesota and as far north as Winnepeg, Canada, and as far west as Denver. The factory employed about 65 people. The business was successful until 1902, when they declared bankruptcy. The townspeople then rallied around and decided to start up a new shoe business. Jacob M. Funk purchased the property and opened the Northwestern Felt Shoe
Company. Instead of making leather shoes, the new firm concentrated on felt shoes which were inserts for boots and overshoes, and also were worn as slippers. It was the only Felt Shoe Company outside of the east coast of the United States. The new factory employed 125 people, many of whom worked in their homes assembling the shoes on their own sewing machines. Large wagons, like those pictured, went through the city collecting the day's production.
Since none of the businessmen who opened the business knew anything about shoes, they hired George McKowan, from Illinois, as their manager. Soon, however, irregularities were discovered in the company accounts. As the owners were arranging to audit the books, the factory was destroyed in a fire in 1903. McKowan was an immediate suspect, but he had fled town. He was apprehended in California after a country-wide chase. Then he was brought back to Webster City to stand trial for arson and embezzlement. At his trial for arson he was defended by John Porter and A. N. Boeye. The prosecutors were D. C. Chase and Wesley Martin. The jury found McKowan guilty, but Judge J. W. Lee, on motion by the defense, granted a new trial in Wright County. The embezzlement charges were tried in Fort Dodge. McKowan was found not guilty on both charges and disappeared from the scene. The large picture of the shoe factory was a piece of evidence that was found in the Wright County Courthouse, when they cleaned out their files about ten years ago. The Clerk of Court wrote to me asking if I wanted the picture, and it was then sent to me.
Many people were out of work, and the orders for the shoes were still coming in, so a group of citizens again rallied to set up the Northwestern Felt Shoe Factory in new quarters at 733-737 Second Street. The 1908 Board of Directors were W. J. Zitterell, President; J. M. Richardson, Vice Pres.; H. D. Ballard, Secretary; and W. C. Burleson, Treasurer; and Frank Enger, Manager. The telephone number was Martin 364.
By 1911 J. W. Young became the Secretary. Soon W. C. Burleson, a dry goods merchant and president of the Webster City Savings Bank, took over the management of the factory. Business continued to be good. On Monday, April 26, 1920, the Northwestern Felt Shoe Company plant was destroyed by fire. Both the building purchased in 1919 and the armory building burned. Also destroyed were the Cadillac Garage and the Guy F. Bissell Blacksmith Shop. Total loss of all businesses in the three buildings was $265,000.The company carried insurance valued at $126,000. The fire was discovered at 3 o'clock in the morning by Robert Pringle, night expressman. Immediately, 125 people were out of work.
The officers of the factory were now W. J. Zitterell, Pres.; J. M. Richardson, Vice Pres.; J. W. Young, Secretary; and W. C. Burleson, Treasurer and General Manager. The men met and considered how they might reorganize. They discussed focusing on the soft-soled slippers which could be made on regular sewing machines. They made plans to raise $75,000 by selling stock for a one-story building with a full basement on the same lots as the old armory. A special committee of W. F. Cole, W. L. Whitham, and Max Hemingway were named to confer with Mr. Burleson and take charge of the stock sale. But this time they were not successful. The first two times the town rallied to the factory. The third time was not the charm.