For more than 300 years, Haverhill was a hub of shoe-making. A new exhibit in downtown Haverhill pays homage to that rich history.
“Shoe Stories: Past, Present, Future” at the new Haverhill location of Historic New England, which opened at the end of June, showcases centuries of innovation in the city, which was once known as “Queen Slipper City.”
The inaugural exhibit includes a look to the future, with a collection of original shoe designs created by students across Massachusetts. Historic New England invited high school juniors and seniors from the 26 Gateway Cities to design an original sneaker or high-fashion shoe inspired by a community or social issue important to them.
Vin Cipolla, president and CEO of Historic New England, which was founded in 1910, said on GBH’s The Culture Show that the center is part of a wider effort to make the organization’s collections more accessible while also revitalizing the downtown.
“Making our collection accessible is very important to our public history mission,” Cipolla said. “To have now a center to be able to do that at a grand scale is really an incredible opportunity.”
The center is located in a former shoe factory complex. Haverhill is one of the state’s 26 Gateway Cities — midsize cities and towns with industrial pasts that are often considered anchors of the local economy and a “gateway” to the American dream.
The exhibit showcases the region’s shoemaking industry through footwear, advertisements, signs and photographs. Among the featured items are Concepts Nike Dunk Low SB Orange Lobsters; boots worn by Beyoncé that were designed by Stuart Weitzman, who is from Haverhill; and L.L. Bean Duck Boots.
While the first half walks visitors through New England’s shoemaking history, the second half features contemporary designs with the student exhibitions.
“It was really exciting to help bring the exhibition together and tell these kids’ stories,” said Dr. Nora Carleson, Historic New England’s curator of fashion and decorative arts. “I was blown away by how thoughtful they are, what’s driving them for community and social change, and how devoted these kids are to their place.”
They received dozens of submissions representing themes like housing equity, environmental justice, racial justice and the impact of artificial intelligence, Carleson said. Prizes for the top two winners were $10,000 in college scholarship funds, and the other four finalists were awarded $1,000 in scholarships.
One finalist designed a shoe inspired by New England’s triple decker homes.
“I was inspired by the Victorian triple-deckers I saw growing up around Worcester,” Zelda Kennedy, the student designer, wrote about her design. “Built by and for immigrants as a relatively inexpensive way to lay down roots, they were a perfect example to me of how housing is vital to empowerment and success.
”My design features aspects of Victorian architecture commonly seen in triple-deckers. The three-tiered design of the shoe, with the heel, body, and strap, reflect the three layers of these,“ she wrote.
Each student design was paired with material from Historic New England’s collection. The exhibit is free and open to the public and will remain on view through June 2027 before the next major exhibition, Food Stories.
“We want people when they come here — or to any Historic New England property — to see themselves,” she said. “We want to tell the stories of all New Englanders.”
Visitors are also encouraged to write their own shoe story on a paper shoe silhouette physically or to submit it online via their interactive kiosk.
“I really hope that we get people straight off the street,” Carleson said. “We’re opening our doors, we’re opening our collection, and we want to work with the community and other gateway communities to expand our narratives, but also play a part of their history as much as we represent their history.”
This story is part of our Gateway Cities: 26 in 26 project, where we are focusing on the state’s 26 Gateway Cities this year. Have a question or want to tell us something about where you live? Go to our Gateway Cities website or email us at equityandjustice@wgbh.org
