The first shoe "factory" in Lynn was on Mall St.  Philip Kertland became Lynn’s first shoemaker in 1635. These small shoe shops  became known as “ten footers.”  An excellent example of one can be seen at the Lynn Museum.

Shoe Capital of the World

Larger buildings were needed when shoe machinery was introduced after the Civil War. The greatest Lynn invention was the lasting machine invented by Lynn’s Jan Matzeliger. He was an African-American from South America.

The lasting machine increased production from 60 to 400 pairs of shoes a day, mostly ladies.  In 1930 there were 200 shoe factories making Lynn the "Shoe Capital of the World."

After World War II however, most shoes bought in Lynn were imported from Europe, especially Italy.

The first high school in Lynn taught shoemaking. It was called the Lynn Independent Industrial Shoemaking School. In order to attend this school one had to have completed the sixth grade. Completion of a high school education from this school would guarantee the graduate a job in a shoe factory.