Crafting a Living

This cobbler’s bench was owned by Joseph Hoxie (1798–1890) and used in his shoe manufactory and store on Old County Road in East Sandwich. Hoxie opened his business in 1818, just a generation after American independence, and operated it until about 1832.

A member of a long-established Cape Cod family, Hoxie represents the local tradespeople who sustained Sandwich’s early economy. Benches like this supported skilled handwork carried out in small shops, where artisans combined craftsmanship with entrepreneurship—producing goods for local customers while building independent livelihoods.

At the same time, this period marked the beginning of broader economic change. By the 1830s, shoemaking in Massachusetts was beginning to shift toward larger-scale production, particularly in centers like Lynn, reshaping both the trade and the communities it served.

In Sandwich—the oldest town on Cape Cod—objects like this connect local experience to national history. As we mark America’s 250th anniversary, this bench reflects both the independence of early American enterprise and the beginnings of an industrializing nation.