History of the Haines Shoe House
Once upon a time, in the County of York (Pennsylvania, that is), a wizard built a magical house that was meant to influence people to do what he wanted them to. No, seriously, it?s a true story. In 1948, the self-proclaimed ?Shoe Wizard?, also known as ?Colonel? Mahlon N. Haines, commissioned a house to be built to look like a high-topped work boot. It was an advertising ploy ? so you could really say that he was trying to influence people to do what he wanted them to ? to buy his shoes.
Haines was a successful businessman. His original consignment of shoes was a mere $127.00, and he worked hard to build a shoe empire that stretched from central Pennsylvania to northern Maryland. By the time Haines had the house built he owned over 40 shoe stores.
The house is in Hallam Township, Pennsylvania, and it is a popular tourist attraction. Made with a wood frame, the builders then constructed a boot-shaped wire lath and coated it in stucco to create the outside of the boot. The entire structure is 17 feet wide, 25 feet high (at the ankle part of the boot), and 48 feet long. The inside actually has five levels (I guess you have to see it to believe it), and has five bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Even though the structure was originally intended as an advertising statement, that didn?t mean that Haines didn?t want people to stay in it. It was a guesthouse for newlyweds and elderly adventurers; they were comfy because in addition to the bedrooms and bathrooms it also was equipped with a sitting area and a kitchen. Haines would pay for the accommodations. He just wanted people to experience the Shoe House so that they would spread his advertising message via word of mouth. He would supply a chauffeur, and a maid.
The house itself is not the only shoe-shaped thing. The mailbox, the sign outside, the window designs, and the dog house are all shaped like a shoe. As for the window designs, they depict Mahlon himself, solemnly holding a pair of shoes ? offering them to a demanding public. This image appears in every window. No word on whether or not this was unsettling to guests. According to past visitors of the house, it was not a problem.
Haines himself was actually 73 years old when the Shoe House was built. One could suppose that he was so thrilled with his success in the shoe business that he wanted to build a monument to it. And that he wanted to continue advertising his business so that it would continue to be fruitful. And that he wanted a boot-shaped legacy.
In 1962 Haines died, and the house has changed hands several times, purchased most recently by a couple by the name of Farabaugh, and the property opened as a tourist attraction in 2004. A local author has since written a book about Haines, and groups come to tour the ground and the shoe itself frequently.
EM Downing Johnson is an avid researcher of strange houses and weird homes and plans to visit the Haines Shoe House very soon. She writes for www.YouLiveWhere.com.
Related Videos :
- Vato Gonzalez Dirty House Mixtape 4 part 1 4
Download the complete mixtape for free at www.vato.nl Complete tracklist of the whole mixtape: 01. Ziggy Stardust feat. Steve Verm – Amillian Lollipopped (bootleg) 02. DJ Dan – Monkey Business (DJ Bam Bam remix) 03. Estelle ft. Kayne West – American Boy (Kid Kaio remix) 04. Jamsquad & Renco – Harde Pokoe Ouwe (v1.0 Beta) 05. DJ Seductive – Underground Sound (Vato Gonzalez Sambal Oelek - Dirty House Mixtape 3 Vato Gonzalez Part 1 of 5
www.I-Love-House.Hyves.nl http Tracklist: 01. The Partysquad – Whatchagonnado remix 02. Adam Sky vs. Mark Stewart – We are all *********** (Crookers remix) 03. Juice String – *** Weed (Laidback Luke remix) 04. Cliff Jones – Don' t Fck it Up (Original mix) 05. Luc Le Blanc vs. Mr. Z – Shake Your Bam Bam (Electro remix) 06. Quintino – Housepain 07. Jay Woo – Let me clear my throat (remix) 08. Andy Callister - - Werner Herzog on images TV and shoes
Clips from Les Blank' s classic 1980 short, “Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe.” (visit lesblank.com to obtain the whole film). The film documents Herzog fulfilling a bet he made with Errol Morris: if Morris would finish his brilliant first feature “Gates of Heaven, ” Herzog said he would eat his shoe. He uses this public stunt to say some very serious things about American pop - Radiohead House of Cards
In Radiohead' s new video for “House of Cards”, no cameras or lights were used. Instead, 3D plotting technologies collected information about the shapes and relative distances of objects. The video was created entirely with visualizations of that data. Directed by James Frost From the album IN RAINBOWS Go to: code.google.com to find additional pieces of data to create your own visualizations. Upload the results - FUGATIVE JIMMY SHOE THE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO HQ
***TEXT 3814 TO 81700 FOR JIMMY SHOE ON CHANNEL AKA – SKY CHANNEL 370 !!!! *** The single Jimmy Shoe is a tongue-in-cheek track gently poking fun at the obsession that girls have with their shoes as well as being an upbeat and raw hip-pop tale of teenage lust. Although distinctly British, the listener can pick up on the musical influence of US artists that Fugative cites as inspiration, including Sean
Related News :
- Mama s Grill serves family style food
Mama’s Grill in Williamsburg offers family-style meals in a casual, friendly atmosphere. “Good food, plenty of food and good prices, ” are what set Mama’s Grill apart from other restaurants, said owner Spiro Kritikos. “You will never leave this place hungry.”
- TSX Venture Exchange Daily Bulletins for November 26 2009
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire – Nov. 26, 2009) – /T/ TSX VENTURE COMPANIES ANTIOQUIA GOLD INC. (“AGD”) BULLETIN TYPE: Property-Asset or Share Purchase Agreement BULLETIN DATE: November 26, 2009 TSX Venture Tier 2 Company TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation pertaining to a purchase agreement (the “Agreement”) dated September 11, 2009, between Antioquia Gold Inc…
- Duo make brave leap for hospital
TWO students have raised almost 2, 000 for a cancer hospital after completing a charity skydive. Andrew Johnson, 19, of Limes Way, Gawber, and Mathew Collin, 21 from Royston, decided to do a sky dive and chose Weston Park hospital, Sheffield, as the cause.
- Two killed in head on crash on U S Route 40 in Pittsgrove Township
Staff photo by Jennifer DaileyThe scene after two vehicles collided head-on on U.S. Route 40 in Pittsgrove Township Friday morning. The two drivers were killed and a passenger in one of the vehicles was injured.PITTSGROVE TWP. The drivers of…
- Waterford Wants Limits Lifted on Funds
Waterford has about 80 uniformed police officers, but like so many communities, Waterford is struggling with declining revenue and a tight budget. The township has about $600, 000 in drug forfeiture funds that have restricted use. Waterford would like to use some of those funds for general police operations.
- Career Day at DV Middle ******
WESTFALL Delaware Valley Middle ****** conducted a Career Day for Eighth graders on Oct. 21. The event was planned and directed by Gerard Geoffroy, guidance counselor for Delaware Valley Middle ******. Students had the opportunity to attend three sessions out of 36 that were presented.