In 1931, the International Shoe Factory opened in Windsor. Its payroll carried the town through the Depression and four more decades, but by 1985, its days were numbered.
“I was there when the door was locked and it was closed,” Dorothy Warren of Windsor said.
Dorothy will share her memories of the last days of the International Shoe Factory, along with some mementoes, on August 12 at a reunion for people who worked at the factory, or had family who did. Hosted by the Windsor Historical Society, the reunion is open to the public, and will be held at the fellowship hall of Windsor United Methodist Church, starting with lunch at 12:15 p.m. Fried chicken will be provided. Those attending are requested to bring side dishes and desserts.
The Windsor Historical Society held a 90th anniversary reunion last August, marking the day the factory produced its first shoes. The factory was on Colt Street, five blocks north of downtown, but was the center of economic and social life in Windsor for five and half decades.
It prospered during World War II, supplying 47 percent of the combat boots and military dress shoes for Russian soldiers. Boots were shipped out by train to St. Louis, where the company was incorporated.
The International Shoe Company had factories in other towns, and after merging with other companies, it became the largest shoe manufacturer in the county.
Government contracts for military footwear kept the Windsor factory open through the mid-1980s. But in May of 1985, word came that the factory was going to be closed. By the end of June, the last orders had been filled, the machinery had been dismantled, and most of the workforce was gone.
“It was the end of an era,” historian Glynna Morse said.
On Aug 12, Dorothy, who worked in the office, will remember the factory’s last day and the people who worked there: Kenneth Eldred, superintendent of the factory, his son Clifford and Elmer Brown, the maintenance manager.
