In the early years of the Brown Shoe plant, workers were paid around 15 cents an hour and worked up to 10-hour days, five days a week. Harding was the president and the plant survived The Great Depression. “There have been many families in Union City raised out of the Brown Shoe Company.” When they locked up, Union City shut down,” Harrison said. “It (the plant) was the backbone of Union City. Longtime Union City banker and current member of the Union City city council Bill “Rat” Harrison remembers the early years of the Brown Shoe Company in Union City. The Brown Shoe plant remained in operation at its original location from 1923 until 1966, when a new plant was opened in Union City’s industrial park off Everett Boulevard. There is one image of hundreds of local residents gathered downtown to welcome Brown Shoe to town. The Sabin Photo Exhibit even features several images related to the Brown Shoe campaign and the plant’s opening in Union City. It was a festive and monumental time that was celebrated in grand fashion. The plant opening was celebrated with aerobatic flights over Union City, wing walking, a parachute jump, a ball game and then that evening a “picture show” was shown on the second floor of the factory and there was a dance held on the first floor. The day the plant officially opened, there was an industrial parade that morning. He said he can still remember the campaign the city undertook to raise the money for the Brown Shoe plant, including the use of public subscriptions.īell said when milestone amounts were raised during the fundraising campaign, a steam whistle at the city’s old waterworks plant was set off. Officials with the shoe company basically told a delegation from Union City if you build it (a new plant) we’ll come, according to John Bell of Union City. A total of $100,000 was raised to finance the construction of the three-story factory. The shoe company’s move to Union City capped off an intense fundraising campaign. “For decades, the growth of Union City was linked to the success of the Brown Shoe Company,” the Threlkelds wrote. Austin Peay and Congressman Finis Garrett came to town to help celebrate the city’s first industry. In many ways the opening of the Brown Shoe Company plant ushered Obion County into the industrial age,” they wrote in their book. “The inauguration of this institution was celebrated June 5, 1923, with appropriate ceremonies. Louis entered into an agreement with Union City “to locate one of its branch factories in this town,” Bill and Charlene Threlkeld wrote in their history book of Obion County - “A Time Returned: A Pictorial History of Obion County,” published in 1994. The campaign to bring Brown Shoe to Union City 90 years ago is well documented. The three-story red brick shoe plant ushered in the industrial age for Obion County. The Brown Shoe plant is historically significant because in 1923 it became Union City’s first major industry. It is expected to take about four months to take down the factory and sell off all the reclaimed brick, metal and wood inside, according to Ervin.Įrvin and his partner have about 18 years of experience doing this kind of work and he said they have hired experienced contractor Ricky Rogers with Rogers Construction to actually demolish the factory. Steve Russell confirmed to The Messenger he has sold the building to Memphis businessmen Chester Ervin and Harold Johnson, and they plan to demolish the building and sell off the scrap material.Įrvin told The Messenger Wednesday he and his business partner will actually transfer the building over to their company, National Econ, an environmental consulting firm based in Memphis. The now vacant Brown Shoe factory located along Gibbs and Cheatham streets on the north side of town has been sold and is in the process of being scrapped. Brown Shoe building to be demolished and with it a piece of storied UC historyĪ significant piece of Union City history is about to be demolished.
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