Old Time Tan Yard and Shoe Shop

By Mrs. Sallie [Van Norman Garrow] G McLain

When I was a child, five years old, in the year of 1847, my father Hiram Van Norman bought an old time tan yard and shoe shop, which was situated on Speculation Creek; Liberty, Miss.

At first it could only be on a very small scale, and contained only a few vats for tanning leather, one small shoe shop arranged only for hand work, as very little machinery was then used.

In a few years he enlarged the plant for business [and it] became profitable. So many slaves were being bought by the planters and the demand for leather and shoes had increased, together with a constant demand for bridle, plough gear, saddles, harness, and carriages.

The method of tanning leather was like this. Skiks were placed [in] strong lime water vats to remove the hair from them. They were placed on slanted benches made of 2 logs, seven or eight feet long, sawed in half the round side up and legs in one end, breast high, the other end on the ground. With implements shaped like a drawing knife made of whale ribs, the hair was removed while the hides were dripping wet. These were then thrown into a solution of lime water and soaked until they were dripped and put into vats for tanning.

To do the tanning red oak bark was stripped by means of iron spuds from trees when the sap began to rise. The bark was hauled to the tannery and piled under long sheds to dry where a large mill ground the bark into mass by means of a horse that went round in a circle. Some men broke the bark into pieces and fed the mill.

The bark was then wheeled to the vats and a layer of bark and a layer of hide were placed upon each other until the vat was full. A hand pump in the creek was used to pump water into troughs that ran into the vats and each was filled with water. Later a kind of turbine wheel was made use of.

When the hides reached a russet brown color they were taken out to dry. Then they were thrown on large tables and whale or fish oil was worked into them by means of large rollers. This made the leather soft and pliable and to be used for making shoes. If black leather was wanted lamp black was added and worked the same way. The light weight leather was made into fine ladies and men’s shoes. Usually this was of calf skins.

The sheep skins were used mostly for saddles seats while the side pieces of the saddle were made of horse skins.

All kinds of skins were tanned; fox, raccoon, oppossum and mink I had a pair of squirrel skin shoes which my father made me. They were very soft. Sometime the hair was not removed, but this kind was made into caps or capes. Some leather was split and dyed bright colors for the top of fancy boots.

It required about twenty five hands to run the tanning besides the finisher, who was an expert workman and usually a Freedman or a German.

The lime and casks of oils had to be brought from Natchez, sixty miles away, our nearest market.

In the shoe shops about thirty hands were regularly employed for the different kinds of work.

Sewed shoes sold for $10, to $5; pegged ones $7 to $8. Real good shoes sold from $3 to $5. Pegged shoes, unlined as the [N]negroes wore, sold for $1.25 to $2. They were all alike on wooden lasts. The men sat on large benches that had boxes in one end in which were placed pegs, nails, thread, wax, heel taps sole vamps and quarters.

The different parts of the shoes were cut out for them. My father and [his] brothers usually did cutting.

Some hands could make from three to four pairs per day, of the plain kind. The nice boots and shoes were all bound around the top with a cord.

The sides of the saddles were made of patent leather and were made of fancy designs. These my mother, sister, and I often embroidered with a course twisted silk thread and were paid 75 cents to $1.50 a day.

During the war, from 1861 to 1865 we could not get girthings and bridle reins so we wove these on the loom.

Carriages were made over by recovering and making new cushions and short silk curtains with fringe for the inside. It took an expert workman for this kind of upholstering.

My father furnished shoes for every plantation in Amite County and some in counties adjacent. Most of these owned about 126 to 150 [N]negro slaves each. These planters bought shoes etc., twice a year, for their families and slaves.

They also traded a great deal of leather and shoes to sugar plantations in Louisiana.

The tannery was not burned by the Yankees, although raiders made two visits and inspected the books to see how much was being supplied to the southern soldiers. My father did not tell me, but I believe he kept the books containing the accounts hidden. ---Our Heritage, (Carrollton, Miss.)

[Joseph Hoff wrote - "This tanyard was exactly where the present bridge crosses the creek."]

Contributed by Frances Phrares with permission obtained from Joseph Hoff

*Note: photo of Hiram/Hyram Van Norman home is in Amite album.