Campello & Keith Park - Yesterday, Today and the Future
Section One: CAMPELLO AND KEITH PARK:
A Brief History
In the late 1600s the descendants of some of the original settlers of Duxbury moved inland, settling in what was then known as Bridgewater. Prominent among these first residents of the area was the Reverend James Keith, who came from Scotland in 1662. In 1758 his great grandson Levi became the first in the family to make shoes. Levi’s son Benjamin and grandson Ziba became the second and third generation to take up shoemaking and firmly establish a family tradition that lasted into the 20th century.
Around the same time, in the 1870s, citizens of North Bridgewater started to think that their town deserved a unique and special name of its own.
Around the same time, in the 1870s, citizens of North Bridgewater started to think that their town deserved a unique and special name of its own.
Finally, citizen Ira Copeland suggested a new name. He had been on a train journey in the Detroit area and had heard a place name called out by the train conductor. “Brockville” in the area of Toronto, Canada was named after Sir Isaac Brock, a general and statesman of that country. The vote on the name “Brockton” was taken, and the name adopted.
In the meantime, Campello continued to grow and prosper. According to the “History of Brockton, Plymouth County” by Bradford Kingman:
“There are several churches in this place and good schools, and it has excellent facilities of travel by steam railroad, and by the electric street cars running through the entire length of Main Street.
“There are several churches in this place and good schools, and it has excellent facilities of travel by steam railroad, and by the electric street cars running through the entire length of Main Street.
It has been noted for its extensive manufacturing establishments of boots, shoes, cabinet furniture, and musical instruments; and the thrift and industry of her citizens may be clearly seen in the neat and tidy appearance of the small cottages scattered throughout the limits of the same.
There is a large number of variety and grocery stores, with a post-office and rail-road station quite near to Main Street, rendering it a desirable place for business purposes or for a private residence. The main street runs the entire length of the village, north and south, with graceful elms on either side. “
There is a large number of variety and grocery stores, with a post-office and rail-road station quite near to Main Street, rendering it a desirable place for business purposes or for a private residence. The main street runs the entire length of the village, north and south, with graceful elms on either side. “
The Keith family continued its tradition in the shoe business in this thriving community of Campello. Great great grandson Franklin handed the family tradition over to his son George Eldon Keith. In 1874 with $1000 he started his own business.
According to some reports, Mrs. Keith was reading a newspaper one evening and George saw a headline about the America’s Cup race: “The defender Columbia Wins in a Walk Over Sir Thomas Lipton’s Shamrock”. Mr. Keith felt that the term “walk over” represented a clear-cut victory – and so that became the name for his footwear company, Walk-Over.
The Keith name dominated the shoe industry for many decades. Mr. Keith and his fellow manufacturers were responsible for numerous patents. Immigrants flocked to Brockton for good paying jobs and the chance to put their earnings to work and purchase their own homes. As part of Mr. Keith’s progressive views on taking excellent care of his employees, he also had an infirmary and cafeteria in his factory. According to an article in the Plymouth County MA Archives Biographies on the Keith Family: “A noon-day meal is served at a nominal sum, a novel idea, original with Mr. Keith, who with his accustomed liberality donates the profits derived there-from to the direct benefit of his employees, the money being used as fund for the sick under the direction of a committee made up of one representative from each department in the factory.”
The George E. Keith Company Executive Offices was a five story building in Campello on Station Avenue that opened in 1911 and was considered state of the art in its day. The basement of the building contained a bowling alley and gym for the use of his employees. The fifth floor contained a banquet hall and full kitchen.
Visitors from around the world could visit the factory, thanks to the railroad station next door. To keep in touch with customers about their orders, the use of postcards became popularized. The Keith Company sent cards that could remind you of your order status, or update you on new designs and improvements. Other shoemakers used different tactics. One of his rivals, a Mr. Douglas, was so proud of the shoes that his company made that he imprinted an image of his own face in the soles of his products! By 1910 sales by the George E. Keith Manufacturing Company amounted to $12,000,000, and the payroll reached $3,000,000.
Mr. Keith established the “Walk-Over Club” on Perkins Avenue for the enjoyment and benefit of his employees. The 13 acre site contained a baseball field, squash courts, tennis courts and bowling alleys. Employees could take classes from everything from sewing to dancing. The building also contained a large banquet hall.
The second floor of the Walk-Over Club housed suites for businessmen and guests of Mr. Keith and the Walk-Over Shoe Company to stay.
The second floor of the Walk-Over Club housed suites for businessmen and guests of Mr. Keith and the Walk-Over Shoe Company to stay.
The Keith name was also associated with other business ventures in the town – the Brockton National Bank was established in 1881 and the original founders include Ziba C. Keith and George E. Keith.
There was also a Keith’s Theater (pictured) in the Campello section, not far from where Deftos Liquors is located today. The theater hosted many vaudeville shows, and eventually became a movie theater. It had about 790 seats. Interestingly, it was not named after the shoemaking Keiths, but took its name from RKO Pictures - Radio-Keith-Orpheum, one of the "big five" studios of the Hollywood Golden Age.
There was also a Keith’s Theater (pictured) in the Campello section, not far from where Deftos Liquors is located today. The theater hosted many vaudeville shows, and eventually became a movie theater. It had about 790 seats. Interestingly, it was not named after the shoemaking Keiths, but took its name from RKO Pictures - Radio-Keith-Orpheum, one of the "big five" studios of the Hollywood Golden Age.
The extended Keith family built many lovely homes in the Campello area. Edwin Keith, the son of Ziba and Polly, was born in 1840 in a home on the corner of Main Street and Plain Street. Eventually as an adult he bought the South Street house of Reverend Daniel Huntington of the South Congregational Church. Huntington had been one of the most outspoken anti-slavery preachers in the area in the time leading up to the Civil War.
The land that is now Keith Park was one of the family’s homesteads. When George died, his will stipulated that once Keiths no longer lived in the home, it was to be taken down and a park designed. The park was then to be donated to the City of Brockton. His brother Myron Keith executed his wishes, hired the Olmsted Landscape Company - sons of the famous Frederick Law Olmsted, and in the 1950s the park was donated to the city in his honor by his brother Myron and his daughter Eleanor.
The land that is now Keith Park was one of the family’s homesteads. When George died, his will stipulated that once Keiths no longer lived in the home, it was to be taken down and a park designed. The park was then to be donated to the City of Brockton. His brother Myron Keith executed his wishes, hired the Olmsted Landscape Company - sons of the famous Frederick Law Olmsted, and in the 1950s the park was donated to the city in his honor by his brother Myron and his daughter Eleanor.
In 2017, after a robust campaign by the Keith Park Neighborhood Association, the City earned a state PARC grant to rebuild the park. KPNA was able to locate the original Olmsted plans, sketches and photos from the archives of the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historical Site in Brookline, Massachusetts to guide the landscape architects in their plans.
The memorial Keith Fountain flowed for the first time in over 37 years at the rededication ceremony.
In 2017, after a robust campaign by the Keith Park Neighborhood Association, the City earned a state PARC grant to rebuild the park. KPNA was able to locate the original Olmsted plans, sketches and photos from the archives of the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historical Site in Brookline, Massachusetts to guide the landscape architects in their plans.
The memorial Keith Fountain flowed for the first time in over 37 years at the rededication ceremony.
SOURCES
“The History of Brockton, Plymouth County” by Bradford Kingman, 1895 http://archive.org/stream/historyofbrockto00king/historyofbrockto00king_djvu.txt
“Brockton: Postcard History Series” by James E. Benson
Walk Over Shoe Company – Our History http://www.walkover.com/ourhistory.aspx
Plymouth County MA Archives Biographies on the Keith Family http://files.usgwarchives.net/ma/plymouth/bios/keith87gbs.txt
“Brockton and its Centennial 1821 - 1921” by Mrs. Susanne Cary Gruver
(Google digital books)
Section Two
CAMPELLO AND KEITH PARK TODAY (under construction)
Section Three
CAMPELLO AND KEITH PARK OF THE FUTURE (under construction)
CAMPELLO AND KEITH PARK TODAY (under construction)
Section Three
CAMPELLO AND KEITH PARK OF THE FUTURE (under construction)