Belfast in Waldo County, Maine — The American Northeast (New England)
Making a Living
⎯⎯⎯
Gagner sa vie
Belfast, Maine
| | The Museum in the Streets | |
Photographed by James True, May 29, 2012
1. Making a Living Marker
Colonel Philo Hersey (panel #9) and two business partners built this imposing shoe factory during the post Civil War period of industrial expansion. At peak production, over 500 workers stood side by side producing several thousand pairs of shoes and boots every day. Making shoes was the economic mainstay of Belfast industry prior to the opening of the chicken processing plants in the 1940s. Plagued with an aging building and continuing labor difficulties, this factory was closed in 1962 and dismantled in 1965. Two shoe factories continued in more modern facilities until the early 1980s. The shoe weathervane that originally graced the tower is now part of the Belfast Museum collection.
Erected 2004 by The Museum in the Streets. (Marker Number 1.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the The Museum in the Streets: Belfast, Maine series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1962.
Location. 44° 25.662′ N, 69°
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Regionally, this marker is in Midcoast Maine and on Penobscot Bay. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Circus Comes to Town / Le cirque arrive ! (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Great Conflagration / La grande conflagration (about 500 feet away); Captain Albert W. Stevens / Le Capitaine Albert W. Stevens (about 500 feet away); The Finest and the Fastest / Le plus rapides et les plus racιs (about 600 feet away); Main and High / Au carrefour de main et de high (about 600 feet away); The Windsor Hotel / L'Hτtel Windsor (about 600 feet away); The Silver Screen / Le septiθme art (about 800 feet away); Belfast City Hall / L'Hτtel de Ville de Belfast (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Belfast.
More about this marker. Marker #1 (of 30) in "The Museum in the Streets". The text on the Marker is in English, followed by a French translation.
Photographed by James True, September 1, 2012
2. Making a Living Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 11, 2012, by James True of Newark, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 648 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 11, 2012, by James True of Newark, New Jersey. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Transcription of the French text • Can you help?
