Shoes, especially for women and children, drove the industries of Stoneham. Sited in a north-south valley above the Boston Basin, Stoneham is bounded by the Middlesex Fells Reservation of the Metropolitan District Commission to the south, I-93 on the west, and Route 128, the area's major peripheral artery, on the north. Formed as an independent town in 1725 from the original Charlestown grant, Stoneham remained an underpopulated agricultural area until the early nineteenth century. Then shoemaking began to grow, first in small shops and by midcentury in more substantial factories supported by tanneries and currying operations. The Civil War brought government contracts for shoes and boots that fueled further industrial development. These companies remained strong until the Great Depression. Since then, Stoneham has served more as an area of residential expansion for surrounding communities.
Writing Credits
If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.
SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.