Fabric Tape for Shoemaking [1930s-1960s]
Utilitarian Object
Identifier:
OBJ.N.2022.17
Description
A roll of fabric tape, about an inch wide and likely holding several yards, spooled, that would have been used in the production of shoes at Old Town Shoe before the factory's closure in the 1960s. The roll comes from the estate of Edward Joseph "Bidou" Le Bretton and Lillian "Cite" Le Bretton, who were maintenance supervisor and hand stitcher respectively at Old Town Shoe. This Main Street workshop, run by Penobscot Shoe Company (est. 1935 as Philco Shoe Company by Max Kagan and Philip W. Lown), had originally been Old Town Woolen Mill and was renovated in 1980 after years of disuse into senior housing. It continues to serve this purpose today as River House.