The Armour Archive

At the 18th-Century Market Fair at Fort Frederick State Park in Maryland last weekend, a sutler was selling "Country-Made Shoes." This was the 18th-century term for shoes that were made *not* on a last but sewn at home from thin leather. They reminded me very much of medieval turnshoes, having flat, thin leather soles. The merchant had copies of period illustrations of these shoes; they're often cited in 18th-century advertisements of runaway slaves and indentured servants. It seemed like a fascinating survival of medieval techniques into colonial America.

Huh I missed that vendor I would have loved to have seen that.

Form follows function. And money.

I think the vendor was Barkertown Sutlers (barkertownsutlers.com), but they don't have the shoes on their website. James, I certainly thought of you when I was looking at the shoes.