Oral History and proposal



One of the more recent photos of original shoe tree





Maxine Archibald











Maxine’s Fifty Year Old Shoe Tree

            Maxine sits on the edge of her high backed, deep seat chair, truly excited about the stories she is telling. She gets especially worked up about the creation of the tree. She starts in, “Well the neighbors like to say that their kids played over there and one day they just put their shoes in the tree. So, the Shooter boys always tell everyone they started it, but my daddy says the real story (Archibald).” According to Maxine, the shoe tree, which sits on the farm she grew up on, has been around for at least fifty years, and it was actually started by the boy scouts. Back then, a troop of boy scouts would visit Wyandotte Cave then walk Devil’s Hollow road to Marengo cave, always passing that tree. They would always carry an extra pair of shoes. Every year Maxine’s dog would run after the boy scouts, and her father would have to chase after him to get him home. One year, Maxine’s father saw something different. He witnessed the boys throwing their extra pair of shoes into the tree. Neither him nor the boy scouts thought much of it. But then, kids and adults alike would pass the tree and throw a pair up. Or word had gotten around, so more people threw shoes up there. Then, everyone had a pair of shoes in the tree, including Maxine (Archibald).

            Maxine Archibald is an 83 year old lady who owns a small grocery store in downtown Milltown called Maxine’s Market. She also owns a portion of the farm the shoe tree sits on along with her brother and sister. I first met Maxine at her home to ask about the history of the tree, but she did not give me the chance to ask questions. She started right in telling me stories about the old tree and the new one not stopping to catch a breath. She knew exactly what stories to tell and what people want to know about the tree without being asked. I realized why when she began discussing the many interviews she had done over the years. She was interviewed by the National Enquirer, Midwest Living, radio stations, and many more (Archibald). The interview she was most proud of was with MSNBC. The T.V. program flew people out from New York to the small town of Milltown just to talk to her about the shoe tree. She was very proud of the fact that she had been on T. V.  Her mood hampered slightly when she mentioned that she had once had a tape of the show, but had accidently taped over it (Archibald). Her spirits went right back up though as she was on to the next story.

            I visited the shoe tree twice recently, each time with a slightly different perspective. The first time, I went the way I know, on a four wheeler through back, country roads, many unpaved. This brought on nostalgia of the many memories and friends that I have lost touch with. The second time, I went the “tourist” route. This route is no less through the country, except it was by car and all the roads happened to be paved. Either way taken, the shoe tree still comes as a surprise.

            Maxine encompasses this feeling of surprise best with a story about a family of tourists from Japan. The family came into her store and asked her, in very broken English, if there were any tourist sites (Archibald). She mentioned the shoe tree, and she could tell they did not quite understand what it was. They still agreed to come back later, if she was not busy, so she could take them there. So, she gathered up the spare shoes she keeps in her store so the tourists she takes to see the tree will have a chance to throw a pair of shoes in the tree. When the family came back, they, Maxine, and the shoes piled into her car and headed toward the tree. The tree is on the corner of a four-way, on the edge of the woods.  Anyway one may take, the drive is through the woods the majority of the trip. There are only a few houses along the way. The family got uncomfortable riding with a stranger to the middle of nowhere. Maxine describes it as, “It was the middle of the summer, so the trees were filled in so you couldn’t see anywhere. As we got deeper into it, I could tell they were getting anxious, like where is this lady taking us (Archibald)?” This is understandable. Who would not start to get uncomfortable? These woods hide the shoe tree until the very last moment when this camouflaged, giant, oak tree ascends into view, towering over its subjects. It is unclear, at first, what the multicolored masses are that have engulfed the bottom half of the tree. But, within a second, the shapes become clear. They are shoes. There are hundreds of shoes. When the family realized what they were looking at, their eyes lit up. They rushed out of the car, talking really fast in Japanese (Archibald). This is the reaction Maxine loves to see.

            Phyllis Thomas dedicates a few paragraphs of her book, Off the Beaten Path Indiana to this magnificent tree. At one point Thomas then discusses the few things the people of Milltown know, or think they know about the tree. The first being the date and way it was started. They narrowed it down to the timeframe of the early 1960’s. The people like to believe it was started by someone who had an old pair of shoes that had been through too many good things to be simply thrown in the trash. So this person decided to put the shoes on display high in the tree.  Thomas states,

Although old shoes hang from many places these days, the folks in Milltown, who refer to this tree as the towns “branch office,” will tell you that their shoe tree is the original. In fact, they claim, they’ve even copyrighted it (Thomas 184).

The early 1960’s agrees with Maxine in that she says the tree is at least fifty years old. I know now that this creation story is untrue; the boy scouts were just messing around and throwing shoes in a tree. But, this tree obviously means a lot to this small town, and the people are very proud to claim it. What if this tree is truly the first shoe tree ever? It seems odd that the first one would be this little known tree that is in the middle of nowhere. There are no signs to get one there and no historical marker at the site. It is only the tree. The tree is in fact copyrighted though (Archibald). Maxine’s brother applied for it and was approved. Its official copyright name is “Indiana Shoe Tree (Archibald).”

            There is a gravel plot off the road beside the tree, only large enough to fit one vehicle. The first object in sight after exiting the car is a fifteen foot tall tree trunk charred with black. The burns resemble scars slicing the trunk. The black has a fragile texture and a small part crumbles to the touch. This tree has one extruding branch left that contains the surviving adornments. There are two main clusters of shoes left on this tree. Maxine knows how this tree caught on fire. According to her, people tried to burn it down and cut it down but never succeeded (Archibald). The old shoe tree was struck by lightning. She even has a theory as to why. After it burned down, she saw a bunch of steel pieces on the ground leftover from steel-toed boots that the rest of them had burned away. So, she believes the steel attracted the lightning. She described the old tree as “magnificent” and “Plastered with shoes.” She claims there were a thousand shoes in that tree (Archibald). The administrator of www.indianaplaces.com writes a brief description of this old tree. The writer refers to it as “legendary” and reveals that it is a sycamore tree, something one could not gather from its current state.  The writer suggests,

It is a fun place to visit and just maybe, if you successfully manage to lodge your shoes in its branches, you might be blessed with good fortune (Administrator).

It is word around the town that the famous Larry Bird’s old shoes were somewhere in this tree. If only I could have seen what this tree was in its prime (Administrator). All other sycamore trees around this area, that have survived the crazy weather, are giants. This tree must have been something to see.  To think that the one and only Larry Bird threw a pair of his old shoes into this old tree, this far out in the country, is simply mind-blowing. One cannot help but wonder if the new tree holds as much “good fortune” as this one supposedly did. Maxine spoke of a kind of good fortune that supposedly came from the tree. She started, “I married fourteen years ago, and stayed married ten. It is said that if two people tie their shoes together and the shoes stay in the tree then they will be together forever (Archibald).” So, Maxine’s husband took their shoes, a ladder, a hammer, and nails and nailed the shoes in the tree so they would not come out. This did not matter though as the tree was struck by lightning and burnt down. Maxine and her husband were not together forever. But, Maxine says the kids will have their shoe tree, and so they made a new Shoe Tree (Archibald).

 The shoes have spread to many of the trees surrounding the four-way.  People of course stop in awe at the main tree. The shoes cover the reachable portion of the tree. The branches sag with the heavy load of holding the many, many shoes. Vines have grown up the tree, clinging to the shoes. They maintain the essence of the tree, so the shoes can be in attendance for more generations to witness. The shoes themselves have no pattern or theme. There are tennis shoes, flip-flops, work boots, heels, and so many others. The sizes vary from baby shoes to adult shoes. This tree is for everyone to put a piece of their history into a tree for many to view. There are quite a few steel-toed boots that Maxine had mentioned. The grounds below the trees possess the shoe graveyard. It is survival of the fittest. The shoes put up there the greatest, and survive the storms long enough for the vines to support them become history. The others fall to their misery to rot away in the weeds. At the edge of the woods, behind this graveyard, lies a large horizontal branch respectfully spray painted with Foo hearts Sara. One is filled with curiosity. One may find himself or herself wishing the shoes could tell their stories. They could share much wisdom. But, they will hang there for many years, keeping history to themselves.

So why do these kids throw their shoes up in the trees? Maxine thinks it is because there is nothing better to do in this rural community. Maxine explains, “There’s not much to do out here. So, before they get a license, they go out there and mess around and throw shoes up there and Romance.” Then, everyone else cannot help but join in the unusual ritual. When shoes wear out, they do not go in the trash. The shoes are discarded in the shoe tree.

Proposed Research

One issue that Maxine brought to my attention was the continuing vandalism of and around the tree. People try to cut down the tree, burn down the tree, and other destructive activities to the tree. Maxine and her brother continue to try and put up signs explaining the landmark and history of the tree. Then, someone always tears it down not long after. Maxine has also tried putting up signs saying no vandalism and signs of that sort, but they always get torn down as well. I noticed the spray paint on the log at the site, but could not know of the other issues just by looking at it.

People know about the vandalism, but since it occurs in a rural community people take a different attitude toward the problem than people in other types of communities tend to. The most common thoughts seem to be “what else are they going to do out here” and “that is just how it is.” This includes Maxine. I found this fascinating that people just do not care.

Destruction of the tree has consequences. This tree is the only tourist attraction located in Milltown. This tree brings tourists who bring money to the small businesses. Without this added revenue, the businesses would struggle even more. The loss of the tree would hurt people as well. This tree is very special to the community, especially Maxine.

My goal is to research criminality of rural communities focusing on vandalism. I hope to change the minds of the people in Milltown to believe that it is not acceptable for people to vandalize anything, especially something so important to the town’s community and already struggling economy. Most resources will be from the internet. This is because people who research and collect information on criminality tend to focus on urban communities, but rural communities have problems as well.

Works Cited

Administrator. “Legendary Shoe Tree.” Places to Travel and Vacation in Indiana. 11 Nov. 2010. Wordpress. Web. 19 June. 2011.

Archibald, Maxine. Personal Interview. 7 July 2011.

Firtdog2011. Photograph. “The Pinnacle of Crawford County…The Shoe Tree…” Webshots. Spring Break ’04. Web. 8 July 2011.

Powell, Kevin. Photograph. “Shoe Tree.”  Doug Kirby, Ken Smith, Mike Wilkins. Milltown, Indiana-Shoe Tree. 29 Oct. 2003. Web. 20 June. 2011.

Thomas, Phyllis. Off the Beaten Path Indiana. 9^th ed. Guilford: Globe Pequot, 2007. Print.