Once upon a time, in the County of York (Pennsylvania, that is), a wizard built a magical house that was meant to influence people to do what he wanted them to. No, seriously, it’s a true story. In 1948, the self proclaimed “Shoe Wizard”, also known as “Colonel” Mahlon N. Haines, commissioned a house to be built to look like a high topped work boot. It was an advertising ploy – so you could really say that he was trying to influence people to do what he wanted them to – to buy his shoes.
Haines was a successful businessman. His original consignment of shoes was a mere $127.00, and he worked hard to build a shoe empire that stretched from central Pennsylvania to northern Maryland. By the time Haines had the house built he owned over 40 shoe stores.
The house is in Hallam Township, Pennsylvania, and it is a popular tourist attraction. Made with a wood frame, the builders then constructed a boot shaped wire lath and coated it in stucco to create the outside of the boot. The entire structure is 17 feet wide, 25 feet high (at the ankle part of the boot), and 48 feet long. The inside actually has five levels (I guess you have to see it to believe it), and has five bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Even though the structure was originally intended as an advertising statement, that didn’t mean that Haines didn’t want people to stay in it. It was a guesthouse for newlyweds and elderly adventurers; they were comfy because in addition to the bedrooms and bathrooms it also was equipped with a sitting area and a kitchen. Haines would pay for the accommodations. He just wanted people to experience the Shoe House so that they would spread his advertising message via word of mouth. He would supply a chauffeur, and a maid.
The house itself is not the only shoe shaped thing. The mailbox, the sign outside, the window designs, and the dog house are all shaped like a shoe. As for the window designs, they depict Mahlon himself, solemnly holding a pair of shoes – offering them to a demanding public. This image appears in every window. No word on whether or not this was unsettling to guests. According to past visitors of the house, it was not a problem.
Haines himself was actually 73 years old when the Shoe House was built. One could suppose that he was so thrilled with his success in the shoe business that he wanted to build a monument to it. And that he wanted to continue advertising his business so that it would continue to be fruitful. And that he wanted a boot shaped legacy.
In 1962 Haines died, and the house has changed hands several times, purchased most recently by a couple by the name of Farabaugh, and the property opened as a tourist attraction in 2004. A local author has since written a book about Haines, and groups come to tour the ground and the shoe itself frequently.
Author Resource:-
EM Downing Johnson is an avid researcher of strange houses and weird homes and plans to visit the Haines Shoe House very soon. She writes for http://www.YouLiveWhere.com.
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