Brockton

By James E. Benson

Brockton, first settled in 1700, was originally a part of Old Bridgewater, known as North Parish and later as North Bridgewater. On April 9, 1881, it officially became the City of Brockton. During the Civil War, Brockton was the largest producer of shoes in the country, earning it the nickname Shoe City. As a growing industrial center, Brockton had the proud honor of being first in the world and nation in many ways. On October 1, 1883, the city became the first in the world to have a three-wire underground electrical system, initially turned on by Thomas Edison. In 1884, the Central Fire Station became the first electrically operated fire station in the country. In 1894, the City Theater had the distinction of being the first in the world tied to a three-wire underground system. In 1890, Col. James Edgar, owner of Edgar s Department Store, donned a Santa Claus outfit, becoming the first department store likeness of the jolly old man. Brockton is also known as the City of Champions, being the hometown of boxing greats Rocky Marciano and Marvelous Marvin Hagler.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Jul 12, 2010
• ISBN: 9781439623800

James E. Benson

James E. Benson is the past president of the Brockton Historical Society and Fire Museum and serves as the organization's official city historian. Benson has a BA in history from Muhlenberg College and is currently the parish administrator at Brockton's historic First Lutheran Church. A resident of West Bridgewater, he serves as chairman of that town's historical commission and is an active member of several civic organizations locally and regionally. Benson coauthored The Swedes of Greater Brockton in Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series and has authored West Bridgewater, Brockton and Brockton Revisited in the same series, as well as Along Old Canada Road and Brockton in the Postcard History series published by Arcadia Publishing. He is the coauthor (with Nicole Casper) of The Strand Theatre Fire: The 1941 Brockton Tragedy and the Fallen Thirteen, published by The History Press. Nicole B. Casper has worked as the director of archives and special collections and assistant professor at Stonehill College since 2001. She received her BA in history from Stonehill College and MLS from Simmons College. She also serves on the board of the trustees at the Brockton Historical Society. She is the author of Stonehill publications A Historical Profile of Stonehill College and A Look Back: Celebrating the Centennial of Donahue and Alumni Halls. A native of Rhode Island, she currently lives in Attleboro, Massachusetts, with her husband. In addition to her love of history, she enjoys quilting and combined the two in 2008 with the completion of a photo quilt titled the Brockton "Shoe" Fly quilt, featuring historical images of the Brockton Shoe Industry, which was part of the exhibit The Perfect Fit, organized by the Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, Massachusetts. She is the coauthor (with James Benson) of The Strand Theatre Fire: The 1941 Brockton Tragedy and the Fallen Thirteen, published by The History Press.

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INTRODUCTION

The history of Brockton began with a land deal in 1645 when the town of Duxbury was granted a plantation consisting of what are now Brockton, Bridgewater, East and West Bridgewater, and segments of other surrounding towns. Old or Ancient Bridgewater, as it is often referred to, was purchased from the local native peoples by Myles Standish, Samuel Nash, and Constant Southworth for 7 coats, a yard and a half in each coat; 9 hatchets; 8 hoes; 20 knives; 4 moose skins; and 10.5 yards of cotton. This deal was consummated at Sachem’s Rock in East Bridgewater with the chief of the local tribe, Massasoit. This purchase had 56 original proprietors, and the first settlers came to the area in 1650. In 1656, the plantation was set aside from Duxbury as a distinct town, and thus was born Old Bridgewater. The first area to be settled was the West Parish or what is today West Bridgewater. The last section of the town to be settled was the North Parish, which would see its first inhabitants in the first years of the 18th century. Throughout the 1700s, the town petitioned the General Court of Massachusetts to form separate and distinct precincts, giving each their own powers. It was on February 5, 1739, that the first meeting of the North Parish would be held, at which time the inhabitants would choose their first elected officials. On that day, Timothy Keith was elected moderator, and Robert Haward was elected clerk. In addition, a precinct committee consisting of Timothy Keith, David Packard, and Daniel Howard was chosen. The next division of significance occurred in 1821, when the North Parish incorporated at the town of North Bridgewater. Over the next several years, the other parishes would also incorporate as their own separate towns. Each of the towns would grow and prosper, but North Bridgewater would become the leading center of commerce among the four.

By 1870, the inhabitants of North Bridgewater were in discussions over a name change for their town in order to set it apart from towns with similar sounding names as well as to shorten the name. Suggestions began to flow as to what the new name should be. In 1871, at a meeting with selectmen, several names were suggested, and several ballots were cast. Among the names suggested were Standish, Madison, Pyrola, Oriole, Langdon, Gaston, Montello, and Norwood. At that meeting, Norwood seemed to be the frontrunner. However, after many meetings and votes, it was decided to name the town Standish, only after allowing the residents to vote on the change. A special town meeting was called for on May 9, 1871, at which time, by a vote of 460 to 427, the name Standish was rejected. At this time, local businessman Ira Copeland brought forth a new suggestion. While traveling, Copeland had heard of a town in Canada named Brockton. The name had a ring to it, at least in Copeland’s mind. In February 1874, the general court was again petitioned, and on March 28, 1874, members of the court voted to let the townspeople choose between the names Brockton, Allerton, and Avon. On May 6, 1874, North Bridgewater became the town of Brockton. It was in 1880 that a group of leading citizens began discussing the possibility of adopting a city charter. A meeting for discussing and voting was held and on April 9, 1881, and the legislature approved the incorporation of the City of Brockton. On May 23, 1881, the citizens met and voted to accept the terms of the incorporation, and thus the City of Brockton was born. Soon after the incorporation, the citizens elected their government leaders, with the distinction of becoming the first mayor going to Ziba Keith.

As the political forces dealt with and adjusted to name changes and administrative changes, the new city was growing in leaps and bounds. In 1811, Micah Faxon came from Randolph and began making shoes in the town and transporting them to the markets in Boston, which was the birth of the shoe industry in Brockton. Acknowledging Faxon’s success, other local entrepreneurs began to manufacture boots and shoes, first in small backyard shops and then on a larger scale in small factories, which was followed by massive centers of manufacturing. The precise number of shoe factories that existed in Brockton may never be known. In the early days of the industry, owners, partners, and names changed as quickly as the New England weather as young men advanced their careers in the industry. Rising head and shoulders above all of the other shoe manufacturers in the city were the firms of George Eldon Keith and William Lewis Douglas. With Keith in Campello and Douglas in Montello, they have often been referred to as the bookends of the city. Both companies maintained their major manufacturing centers in Brockton. Keith moved into neighboring towns, and both moved into other New England states to some degree or another. Both men built huge empires and were masters at marketing. Douglas had his $3 shoe, and it was advertised worldwide using marketing materials that bore his image. Keith would establish retail shoe outlets worldwide for his Walk-Over brand. From London, England, to Cairo, Egypt, Walk-Over shoes were known the world over. Keith published a regular newsletter, which was more the size of a magazine, to let his employees and customers know what was happening throughout the Keith Empire. Walk-Over’s Shoe Prints would highlight dealers around the world with photographs of shoe stores and customers as well as Walk-Over-sponsored sports teams. While the biggest, these two companies were by no means the only players in the shoe-making game. Great names such as Field and Flint, Burt and Packard, E. E. Taylor, Howard and Foster, Churchill and Alden, and scores more, filled the early city directories with their advertisements. These great names, although competitors, worked together for the good of their industry and for the good of the people of Brockton.

As the shoe industry grew, it attracted other sorts of manufacturers to Brockton. Brockton became a leading center for the manufacture of shoe machinery, and many Brockton companies held hundreds of patents for new and innovative equipment. The manufacture of shoe tools and