The Man behind Ironton’s Selby Shoe Factory
Roger Selby 1885-1973. was not only a distinguished entrepreneur in the shoe industry, but also a world-renowned breeder of Arabian horses. History records that Roger Selby had numerous communications and purchased multiple champion Arabian horses from Lady Wentworth, a renowned British royal and owner of the Crabbet Arabian Stud Farm. The Selby 100 Mile House & Gardens was home to the most famous Arabian Stallion worldwide, during this period, known as “Mirage”. S.W
Source: Ironton’s History (Swamp Angel Cannon) Roger Malone, Admin. Used by permission
Source: Selby Shoe Company Employee Photo, Ironton Tribune, 9 Jan. 2001
Source: Memory Lane Selby Shoe Factory Employees Photo Taken in 1939. Ironton Tribune, 7 July 1992, page 13
Source: Briggs Library website
Selby Shoe Company
- In 1875, Irving Drew began manufacturing extra-fine welt shoes for women in Portsmouth, Ohio. A few years later, George Selby joined Drew, and together they produced women’s shoes under the name Drew-Selby Company.
- At some point, Selby and Drew decided to end their partnership. Following their split, Selby established his own shoe company, the Selby Shoe Company.
- By 1922, Selby’s factory was located in Ironton, Ohio, at 324 North 2nd Street, with Edgar N. Meck serving as the manager. The factory specialized in making women’s shoes.
- In 1925, the factory relocated to 1607 South 3rd Street, where Meck continued as manager until 1934.
- Hugh A. MacAdam assumed the role of factory manager in 1934 and held it until 1938.
- By 1940, the Selby Shoe Company had closed, and the site was vacant. The property was listed as vacant. In fact, the company remained vacant until 1949, when the City Amusement Company purchased the property.
From the Ironton Tribune, 28 Jan. 1994, page 8, Tony Morris tells the story of the old Selby Shoe Factory in Ironton, Ohio. At that time, it had just opened up as Cabletron.
In 1927, it housed the Selby Shoe Company, and in 1942, it became the Wilson Sporting Goods facility. Today, it is home to Cabletron.
Cabletron, located on South Third Street in Ironton, Ohio, is quite a success story. Its founder, Bob Levine, started the company in his garage in Rochester, NH, in 1983. In 1988, the company opened an assembly plant in Ironton, Ohio, and hired B. J. Hannon as plant manager. The company also has worldwide sales offices, including one in Tokyo, and a production plant in Ireland.
Tony was hired in December of 1987, and the plant opened in February of 1988. ….The plant now has 350 employees, 250 at the main site and another at the old Tipton’s II grocery store. The two facilities combined total approximately 88,000 square feet…
Note from The Lawrence Register:
Wilson Sporting Goods later purchased this location to serve as a manufacturing facility for leather baseball gloves.
On July 28, 1980, NIOSH received a request from the International Chemical Workers Union for a health hazard evaluation at the Wilson Sporting Goods Company, Ironton, Ohio. The health concerns were dermatitis and possibly an increased risk of bladder cancer among workers exposed to aniline dyes while lacing baseball gloves.
Although aniline has not been demonstrated to cause bladder cancer, several of the dyes made from aniline and its derivatives have been shown to be potent bladder carcinogens. The requester wanted to know if the leather dyes could cause cancer among the lacers.
On August 25 and 26, 1980, NIOSH conducted an environmental and medical health hazard evaluation at the Wilson Sporting Goods Company. On February 13, 1981, an epidemiologic study was conducted by examining the company insurance records of workers at this plant. See Interim Report No. l (HE 80-215, September 1980) for initial findings and recommendations.
You can read the report at this website:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/80-215-911.pdf
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