Vigo County Historical Society

Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week - August 5, 1984
By Elizabeth Tuttle
Vigo County Historical Society

Wooden shoes wore better, kept feet drier than leather

Shoes are something that we all take for granted. When a pair wears out or are outgrown, a trip to the shoestore is all it takes to procure a new pair.

Imagine having to make your own shoes, or arranging for someone to make a pair for you. It would certainly take longer to have them made then it would to buy a pair at the local mall.

Our historical treasure this week features hand tools used to make wooden shoes in Terre Haute by an immigrant, John Rotz. Rotz was the great-grandfather of the donor, Mrs. Harry P. Brentlinger.

Five of the tools are gouges of different sizes. One is long and narrow, possibly used to make the toe of the shoe.

Another item is a block knife (also called stock knife) with a hook on one end. A block of wood was held in one hand and the block knife was used to rough out the shape of the shoe. The knife was fastened with the hook to a large section of sawed-off tree trunk, and the roughing out was accomplished using an up-and-down motion.

Wooden shoes have existed since about 1,000 A.D. German immigrants who came to this country continued to wear the wooden shoes, which was their custom in their homeland. Leather was expensive, hard to get, and it wore out quickly. Wooden shoes lasted longer.

The peasants of France and Belgium wore a carved wooden shoe called a sabot. When a peasant wished to avenge himself on his landlord, he trampled his crops with his sabots; hence the word sabotage. Sabots are still worn in Europe.

Farmers and fishermen in the moist lowlands of the Netherlands often wear heavy wooden shoes called klompen that protect their feet from the damp ground. Klompen keep the feet drier and warmer than other types of shoes. Rarely are they worn indoors.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St. is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday through Friday. For further information phone 235-9717 during open hours.