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Banister Shoe Company Collection (1890 - 2016)
Collection IDMG Nwk Banister
Size1 box
Collection Description
The Banister Shoe Company existed in Newark from 1844 until 1934, when it moved out of Newark after a sale to the Stetson Shoe Company. The history of the company begins in 1844, when Isaac Banister began manufacturing shoes in Newark. In 1851, his son James A. joined his father in the business, now Banister and Son, with a shop at 252 Washington St. Their output was 60 pairs of shoes daily. Like his father, James was considered an expert cutter. By 1856, the business name was James A. Banister and Company; the name changed several times more in the next few years.
In 1865, James A. Banister formed a partnership with Lyman S. Tichenor, conducting business as Banister and Tichenor at 218 and 220 Market St. By 1874, the firm employed 200 people with a weekly payroll of $2,800, and annual production value of $300,000. After Tichenor's death in 1881, Banister continued as a sole proprietor and the company name was changed to James A. Banister Co. In 1884, a fire destroyed the Market Street factory, which was rebuilt on the same site in three months. In 1888, Banister built a new four-story brick factory, 280 feet long with a frontage of 35 feet, at 185-187 Washington St. In 1892, James A. Banister formed a stock company, James A. Banister Shoes. Banister shoes took the grand prizes at the Vienna, New Orleans, Chicago, Paris, Buffalo, St. Louis, and Portland expositions. By 1906 the company had an output of 1,200 pairs daily and employed 500 people.
James A. Banister was active in civic, religious, and commercial enterprises in Newark. He was a Director of the YMCA from 1890; Vice President in 1894; and President from 1895 to 1906. He was a vestryman at the Roseville Methodist Episcopal Church, a member of the Newark Board of Trade, and a director of the Fairmount Cemetery Association. He was also a director of the National Newark Banking Co., Howard Savings Institution, and the American Insurance Company.
James A. Banister died on February 4, 1906 and his sons succeeded him in the business. James B. Banister was president of the company from 1906 to 1924. In 1915, the company built a new factory along the Morris Canal at 370-386 Orange St., at the corner of First Street. The collection includes a photograph taken in August 1915 during the construction of this building.
When James B. retired, Arthur C. Banister took over as company president, and he was succeeded by Frederick E. Young in 1928.
The exact date of the company's dissolution and sale to Stetson is unclear. The 1930 Princeton Alumni Weekly notes the "voluntary dissolution" of the James A. Banister Company. However, a 1935 Banister shoe catalogue states that the company operated in Newark until May 1, 1934. A National Historic Register application for the factory site gives the formal dissolution date of the company as 1935. It is clear that by 1935 the company was operating in South Weymouth, Massachusetts and had left Newark. Banister Shoes continued to be created and marketed (outside of Newark) until the early 1970s. The Orange St. factory building, used by Banister Shoes, was still standing as of 2016. NOTE: This history was compiled by Timothy J. Crist (see Folder 14 below).
In 1865, James A. Banister formed a partnership with Lyman S. Tichenor, conducting business as Banister and Tichenor at 218 and 220 Market St. By 1874, the firm employed 200 people with a weekly payroll of $2,800, and annual production value of $300,000. After Tichenor's death in 1881, Banister continued as a sole proprietor and the company name was changed to James A. Banister Co. In 1884, a fire destroyed the Market Street factory, which was rebuilt on the same site in three months. In 1888, Banister built a new four-story brick factory, 280 feet long with a frontage of 35 feet, at 185-187 Washington St. In 1892, James A. Banister formed a stock company, James A. Banister Shoes. Banister shoes took the grand prizes at the Vienna, New Orleans, Chicago, Paris, Buffalo, St. Louis, and Portland expositions. By 1906 the company had an output of 1,200 pairs daily and employed 500 people.
James A. Banister was active in civic, religious, and commercial enterprises in Newark. He was a Director of the YMCA from 1890; Vice President in 1894; and President from 1895 to 1906. He was a vestryman at the Roseville Methodist Episcopal Church, a member of the Newark Board of Trade, and a director of the Fairmount Cemetery Association. He was also a director of the National Newark Banking Co., Howard Savings Institution, and the American Insurance Company.
James A. Banister died on February 4, 1906 and his sons succeeded him in the business. James B. Banister was president of the company from 1906 to 1924. In 1915, the company built a new factory along the Morris Canal at 370-386 Orange St., at the corner of First Street. The collection includes a photograph taken in August 1915 during the construction of this building.
When James B. retired, Arthur C. Banister took over as company president, and he was succeeded by Frederick E. Young in 1928.
The exact date of the company's dissolution and sale to Stetson is unclear. The 1930 Princeton Alumni Weekly notes the "voluntary dissolution" of the James A. Banister Company. However, a 1935 Banister shoe catalogue states that the company operated in Newark until May 1, 1934. A National Historic Register application for the factory site gives the formal dissolution date of the company as 1935. It is clear that by 1935 the company was operating in South Weymouth, Massachusetts and had left Newark. Banister Shoes continued to be created and marketed (outside of Newark) until the early 1970s. The Orange St. factory building, used by Banister Shoes, was still standing as of 2016. NOTE: This history was compiled by Timothy J. Crist (see Folder 14 below).
Collection Contents
The collection documents about 45 years of the Banister Shoe Company, mostly in Newark. Contents include15 shoe catalogues, advertising materials for merchants aimed at retailers, a catalogue from Marshall Fields (Chicago) featuring Banister shoes, magazine ads, several photographs, and research on the company by Timothy J. Crist, President of the Newark History Society.
Contents are as follows:
Folders 1-8: shoe catalogues (1890-1935)
Folders 9-11: advertisements to merchants (ca. 1924-1929)
Folder 12: booklet, "Marshall Field presents a selection of new smart shoes for men by Banister" (undated); booklet, "The Constitution of the United States distributed by James A. Banister Co." (undated); advertisements from Illustrated Footwear and Fashion (Oct 15 and Nov 1, 1910); "Guiding More Customers to Your Store," by the James A. Banister Co., Library of Congress copyright card (Sep 1928); and Banister Co. stock Price List (Sep 1930)
Folder 13: photographs: unidentified man (undated); construction of the Banister shoe factory at Orange and First Sts., along the Morris Canal, "Compliments of Tomkins Brothers Wholesale Masons Materials, 48-94 Passaic St., Newark, N.J."; and window display of Banister shoes at Saks on 34th St, New York
Folder 14: Item List and research on Banister company history by Timothy Crist (2016)
Folder 15: obituaries of James A. Banister (1906; photocopies); a family tree and genealogical information on the family, with notes on and photos of several generations; copies of Banister business letters (1898 and 1903)
Folder 16: photocopies of entries from a family Bible; a history of the company found online, with quotation from Arthur Banister's family history (in Folder 19) and research notes by Timothy Crist; photocopies of an early family valentine and a souvenir shoe horn; two company business postcards (1893 and 1899)
Folder 17: business correspondence (1893-1910; originals)
Folder 18: copies (and one original) of Banister Company ads in magazines (1920s)
Folder 19: photocopy of a typescript family history by Arthur C. Banister; two CD's, one labeled "Banister Shoes" and the other "James A. Banister Board of Directors, 1893-1910"
Contents are as follows:
Folders 1-8: shoe catalogues (1890-1935)
Folders 9-11: advertisements to merchants (ca. 1924-1929)
Folder 12: booklet, "Marshall Field presents a selection of new smart shoes for men by Banister" (undated); booklet, "The Constitution of the United States distributed by James A. Banister Co." (undated); advertisements from Illustrated Footwear and Fashion (Oct 15 and Nov 1, 1910); "Guiding More Customers to Your Store," by the James A. Banister Co., Library of Congress copyright card (Sep 1928); and Banister Co. stock Price List (Sep 1930)
Folder 13: photographs: unidentified man (undated); construction of the Banister shoe factory at Orange and First Sts., along the Morris Canal, "Compliments of Tomkins Brothers Wholesale Masons Materials, 48-94 Passaic St., Newark, N.J."; and window display of Banister shoes at Saks on 34th St, New York
Folder 14: Item List and research on Banister company history by Timothy Crist (2016)
Folder 15: obituaries of James A. Banister (1906; photocopies); a family tree and genealogical information on the family, with notes on and photos of several generations; copies of Banister business letters (1898 and 1903)
Folder 16: photocopies of entries from a family Bible; a history of the company found online, with quotation from Arthur Banister's family history (in Folder 19) and research notes by Timothy Crist; photocopies of an early family valentine and a souvenir shoe horn; two company business postcards (1893 and 1899)
Folder 17: business correspondence (1893-1910; originals)
Folder 18: copies (and one original) of Banister Company ads in magazines (1920s)
Folder 19: photocopy of a typescript family history by Arthur C. Banister; two CD's, one labeled "Banister Shoes" and the other "James A. Banister Board of Directors, 1893-1910"
FormatsDigital materials; Photographic materials; Textual materials
SubjectIndustry / Manufacturing
Time Period20th Century
LanguageEnglish
Access policyOpen for research
ProcessedYes
Finding AidYes