Leather Still A Way of Life in Acton Ontario In this day and age when both tanneries and shoe msnufactur era are closing at an alarming rate It is difficult to remember how significant they have been in the past Tanning rivals the oldest profession as one of the earliest Interests of mankind In America the leather Industry has a history dating from the first colonists Tor example the pilgrims establish Plymouth colony In 1620 losing over half their number In the first year but by heir first tannery was In operation Similarly the and Dutch established cites very early In their colonist periods The first Canadian tannery was establish In Levis Quebec In This pattern or growth was repeated as the colonies spread The revolutionary war was a tremendous boon to the American Industry As supplies of English leather were cut off the need for locally tanned leather Increased furthermore the Con tlncntal Congress required each American soldier to be provided wilh two pairs of shoes a leather or woollen coat end a leather cap Armies also required saddlery and accoutrements In leather As a result existing American tanneries flourished and chussets in particular saw the early beginnings of what were to become enormous leather and footwear industries Salem and together were to house over tanneries while Lynn and Brockton were to became alive and dominated by shoe manufacturers naturally the War of In depend had many other Implies and produced numerous other changes not the least of which was the colonization of Upper Canada by swarms of United Empire Loyalists Like many other communities found In this era Acton was Initially an agricultural site developed by the Adams family Tanning Is the second oldest Industry in Acton The first was the traditional mill which was started by the Adams family In 1BI8 By lB74when the village was Incorporated Acton had already had several tanner including one which was forced out a with which we are alt too a familiar today At the time the main products were harness and sole leather and the process required six months to a year In order to tan and finish the leather The tanners used to stock quantities and manu facturers used to place their entire yearly requirements well In advance making production scheduling a somewhat different problem than It Is today Hem lock bark was used In great quantities and this was plentiful at first as farmers In the area teamed It In all winter long Eventually bark was brought In by train at much greater expense and Tor a while the local tanner Ies appeared to be destined for doom as new companies opened further north to accommodate the need for bark The develop of extracts and later chrome tanning eliminated this tendency and eventually resulted In the closure of these northern tanners In any case the economic his tory of Acton has been thorough ly Intertwined with that of leather In this country The site now occupied by and Company has housed a tannery since 1844 Including two which burnt down between that year and The company was acquired by in 1865 and has retained the family name ever since In 1868 the Storey Works opened as Acton third Industry manufacturing a variety of leather gloves for domestic con sumption and shipping products all across the country The Storey family also operated a tannery In town for a number of years Over the last one hundred years the town has seen a number of glove and shoe companies operate successfully at first providing much needed employment only to ultimately fail or wind tip operations He wet son Shoe once operated a plant there and smaller com pan Ies such as Shoe and Hamilton Shoe enjoyed brier periods or success The glove Industry continues to provide employment today Superior Qlove an excellent example of a vertically integrated com pany Its own leather and specializing in the or Industrial gloves The company has shown steady growth In the past In a very competitive market On the other hand no pun Intended the Co specializes quite successfully In the manufacture of fine quality leather gloves and mitts with emphasis on deerskin Items The White Tanning Co located a short distance outside of town primarily produces glove bellies and continues to find markets for Its products Frank Heller and Company has specialized quite effectively In the production of split leather and has shown steady growth over Its history rinally of course there Is Beard more and Company Ltd a division of Canada Packers which local residents used to loudly proclaim the largest tannery under one roof In the British Empire Of course the British Empire as such no longer exists but con to play a very significant role both as a leader In Canadian leather Industry and as an employer In the town Over the last several years the leather heritage of Acton has become the bails or an attempt to develop a tourism facet to the local economy The adoption of the leathertown pseudonym and logo and various special events and the development of the hide House operation seem certain to serve as the basis Tor the continued development of tourism operations and attractions In the future Tourists Discover Halton The highway divides the Regional Municipality of into two distinct sections The north Mat ton area Is one of Ontario mast naturally beautiful areas boasting the agar a Escivpmcnt Bluffs numerous lakes and streams rolling hills and beautiful forests The towns and villages In the area Mil ton Wen Mills Rock wood Acton Umehousc Hams and town compliment this natural beauty with a common Heritage theme The Ont Agricultural Museum the Radial Museum an evolving leather theme town Apple farms crafts and boutique villages and Country In lis collectively constitute a Heritage microcosm of Central Ontario More than ever before tourists and residents of the nearby urban centres of the Horseshoe are discovering north as the per feet place for a weekend retreat or Just an afternoons drive through the country As more and more people begin to seek temporary relief from the fas pace and pressure of city life the warmth theme beauty and excitement of the florth tage Area will continue to provide a relaxing sanctuary the olde Hide House The Town or Acton a Leather Heritage dates back to 1863 with the opening of the Tannery which by the turn of the Century had become the largest In the British Empire Today several local companies operating In various aspects or the Leather Induitry maintain Acton role as Built In 1800 half a million bricks and maiilve wood beams our square foot building served Initially as a warehouse for hldea Today restored and renovated it now provides the atmosphere which combined with the leather expertise and ex te naive Industry contacts acquired over four generations has enabled us to develop and present Canada largest leather goods store Some or our policies are also quite unique Our relatively low overhead situation and ability to buy and sell In volume allows us to price our merchandise below tradition retail levels In addition during the summer months we slash prices up to a further We believe in natural pro ducts and have avoided man made Imitations such as vinyl and ultra suede Over of our merchandise Is Canadian In December of a new stage of our evolution began with the opening of Jack Tanners Table a full service rest aurant equally dedicated to providing good value and The final step in the development or the oldc Hide House project occurred with the opening or the Artisan Village This addition firmly establishes the tilde House as one of Canada s most unique and exciting tourist attractions