Past, Present, Future
In spring 2026, Historic New England will open a new, expansive Welcome and Exhibition Center in the ground floor of one of our historic shoe factory buildings. An exciting next step in our transformative project in Haverhill, the inaugural exhibition Shoe Stories: Past, Present, Future will boldly introduce our new exhibition program in Haverhill and connect the city’s historic legacy to an exciting future. This exhibition offers donors compelling opportunities to help bring this history to life and to connect with the rich cultural, social, and artistic significance of footwear, from past to present. Donors at the $5,000 level and above can also choose to sponsor a pair of shoes featured in the exhibition and create their own shoe story.
Many treasures from Historic New England’s collection of New England artifacts and archives – the largest collection of its kind in the world – will be on view for the very first time. This exhibition will explore over four hundred years of shoemaking and design in New England and will share a history of Haverhill and the distinctive role Historic New England’s historic shoe factory buildings play in the city’s history and ongoing revitalization.
Shoe Stories tells an expansive story emphasizing the work and histories of makers of color, Indigenous designers, contemporary New England creatives, and the sustainable future of shoe designs. Additionally, the exhibition explores the global impact of sneakers – the ultimate American shoe – and one still uniquely a part of New England life. The exhibition also highlights several oral histories from shoe designers and workers of the past, present, and future.
Shoe Stories is bookended by eighteenth-century shoes, representing the early history of cordwaining (shoemaking), and sneakers by JEMS, the first Black sneaker factory in the United States. Established in 2022, JEMS celebrates the significant contributions of Jan E. Matzeliger, a Black inventor whose revolutionary lasting machine transformed the industry and helped New England become a shoemaking powerhouse in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Shoe Stories showcases Haverhill and New England as dynamic centers that helped to shape the evolution of global footwear. One highlight is the work of internationally acclaimed designer Stuart Weitzman, who began his career in Haverhill at one of Historic New England’s shoe factory buildings, where he collaborated with his father at Mr. Seymour Shoes. Finally, Shoe Stories tackles the critical issues of sustainability and diversity, aligning with the future objectives of Historic New England as we develop a global cultural destination in Haverhill.
Michelle Tolini Finamore, Exhibitions and Programming Consultant for Historic New England’s Center for Preservation and Collections, Lorna Condon, Chief Curator, and Nora Ellen Carleson, Curator of Fashion and Decorative Arts.
Other Ways to Give
Historic New England is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization, whose legal name is the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. Historic New England’s Tax ID number is 04-2104937.
Please contact the Development Office at (617) 994-5951 or [email protected] to learn more about this exciting exhibition and how you can get involved.
Checks may be sent to:
Historic New England
Attn: Development Office
151 Essex Street
Haverhill, MA 01832
Historic New England has embarked on an unprecedented endeavor in Haverhill to create a global cultural destination – the Historic New England Center for Preservation and Collections, or the Haverhill Center. A new Welcome and Exhibition Center on the ground floor of our eight-story, 150,000 square foot former shoe factory is underway and is scheduled to open in spring 2026. The space will feature changing exhibitions, innovative collections installations, a media wall for virtual exploration of Historic New England’s vast collections and historic properties and landscapes, in-door and outdoor convening areas for community gatherings, performances, and so much more. This will be a gamechanger for Historic New England, the City of Haverhill and the wider region.
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