Old Maine Trotters Leather Heels (6) [1930s-1960s]
Utilitarian Object
Identifier:
OBJ.N.2022.9
Description
A set of six cut and punched leather shoe heels in various colors. They were part of the estate of Edward Joeseph "Bidou" Le Bretton Sr. and Lillian "Cite" LeBretton, the maintenance supervisor for multiple shoe workshops around Old Town and a hand-stitcher at Old Town Shoe, a workshop on Main Street. The Old Town Shoe building had housed Old Town Woolen Mill from its 19th century construction until Max Kagan and Philip W. Lown acquired it for thier business. Kagan and Lown founded Philco Shoe Company in 1935, which was later rebranded Penobscot Shoe Company and produced a signature line of women's shoes, Old Maine Trotters, for which these leather heels were likely cut in the 30 years Old Maine Shoe operated and Mr. LeBreton worked there. The building that had been Old Town Shoe and Old Town Woolen Mill was redeveloped in 1980 as senior housing and is known today as River House. In 2000, The Phoenix Footwear Group purchased Penobscot Shoe Company and their Trotters brand. Phoenix maintains a distribution center near River House at 107 Main St., Old Town, ME.