Shoemaker, Williamsburg, VA, Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

The Shoemaker at 110 W Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg, Virginia, stands for one of the everyday trades that kept a colonial town on its feet. It sits in the historic area, where the story of how shoes were made, sold and mended in the 1700s is part of the street itself.

The story behind it

In colonial Williamsburg a shoemaker worked mostly in leather and needed relatively few tools. A skilled maker of new shoes was called a cordwainer, while a cobbler was someone who only repaired shoes. Of all the footwear a shoemaker could produce, boots were considered the most sophisticated and the most prestigious.

Shoemakers did not have the local market to themselves. Customers could also buy shoes imported from London, so a local craftsman had to compete on fit, durability and service. Shoes of the period were made for a great deal of walking, which mattered in a town where most people got around on foot.

What to look for

• Look at the tools and the leather on display, and notice how few implements were needed to turn a hide into a pair of shoes.
• Compare the shoes with any boots you see, and think about why boots were the mark of a more skilled and more expensive piece of work.
• Notice the setting on Duke of Gloucester Street, where trade shops, houses and taverns sit close together as they once did.
• Ask yourself who would have used the shop most: townspeople needing repairs, or those wanting a new pair made to measure.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the stop itself, longer if a demonstration or an interpreter is on hand.
• Walking the street is the easy part, but entering trade buildings in the historic area can depend on admission rules, so check current access before you go.
• Morning or late afternoon is usually calmer and gives softer light for photographs along Duke of Gloucester Street.
• Wear comfortable shoes. It is a fitting way to appreciate a trade built around walking.

See it on a quest

Williamsburg Colonial Adventure - A Trip Through American History (PART 1) passes the Shoemaker as one stop on a longer walk through the historic area. The app tells you about each place as you reach it and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you, so you look closely instead of walking past. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Williamsburg, VA also takes you by this spot on foot, with a murder mystery theme running through the route. You get the story of each place as you arrive and solve a puzzle on the spot, at your own pace and with no guide to follow. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.