Conway,NH Factory

Prior to nails and cement usage, the soles and uppers of shoes and boots were held together with hardwood pegs driven through the layers. Benjamin Sturtevant was an early pioneer in the shoe industry, developing machinery to improve the production of those shoe pegs. His first pegmill was located in a converted North Sandwich barn, which burned down in the 1860s.

The Conway ribbon peg factory was built in 1874 and lasted a half century until it too burned down in 1923. All the machines used in production were invented by Sturtevant. During its existence, the factory was important part of the Conway tax base.

An 1898 Conway illustration with an arrow showing the exact factory location.

Plant interior showing ribbon wood

Pegwood example