Thus lumber and natural resources spurred the first great development and growth of East Abington. However, the real boom began when shoemaking was introduced to the town by Thomas Hunt in 1793. Like other settlers from Weymouth and West Hanover, Hunt was attracted by the potential of the growing town, settling in the northern section known as Hatherly. Hunt revolutionized the shoemaking business, bringing together shoemaking in a centralized location and creating the forerunner of the region’s immense show factories. Prior to 1800, if a family did not make their own shoes, most footwear was made by itinerant shoemakers who went house to house, village to village, customizing a stock of shoes for families. A traveling cobbler would carry all their tools and materials (or a family would trade to have materials waiting for his arrival), board with a family for a period of time, and typically make up a year’s supply of shoes and boots before moving on to a neighbor. In East Abington, the collection of shoemaking tasks into a central location is attributed to Thomas Hunt when he established his “ten footer” shop in Hatherly. These small outbuildings soon popped up in many side yards in town, and several can still be seen today as extensions of older houses. Hunt and others bought the materials and tools and made the whole shoe in the ten footer. At first, a single man and, often, his family would make the shoe: young children were taught to peg the shoe by their father and older siblings, and women would bind and stitch. Soon, apprentices were recruited to learn the trade and help meet the increasing demand. Once a good stock of ‘market’ shoes had been made, the shoemaker would, prior to the advent of railroads, use “the more primitive way of packing the shoes in large saddle bags, and placing them on the old family horse, mounting the nag, and trudging off to Boston.” According to Benjamin Hobart, they would “return in due time with two or three sides of sole leather in one side of the bags, and, in the other, upper stock…” East Abington’s early 19th century growth was driven in large part by the creation of the fledgling shoe industry, evolving from ten footers dotting the landscape to large factories centralizing shoe production under one roof. The population of East Abington soared during this time period: indeed, between 1790-1830, the population north of Salem St. doubled. Much of the population was employed in the manufacture of shoes or related industries. One of the earliest factories, Loud & Hunt, operated until 1830 and was the predecessor to dozens of large manufacturers. By the mid 1830s, half a dozen manufacturers in East Abington had doubled the shoe production of their Brockton counterparts. Enabling the growth of East Abington’s shoe industry and opening up the east section of town to the rest of the world was the construction of the Old Colony Railroad in 1845. By 1869, The Hanover Branch Railroad linked Hanover to the Old Colony line in North Abington, a stretch of eight miles that passed through East Abington. The introduction of freight and passenger service provided not only an outlet for goods and residents, but also imports from distant domestic and international sources. In addition, the railroad brought Irish immigrant workers, many of whom established roots in the town and became a source of labor for the shoe factories. Prior to the Civil War, the primary markets for East Abington’s products were New Orleans and Cuba. Several businessmen had traveled and lived in New Orleans, building strong trade relationships both to sell finished products as well as supply raw materials. According to historian Benjamin Hobart, New Orleans was the largest consumer of East Abington’s shoes, and “gave a spring and great encouragement to the shoe trade, and did much to make this town what it is…” Similarly, prominent shoe manufacturer Abner Curtis, who acquired Loud & Hunt after its demise in 1830, built the Cuban trade upon the “Spanish shoe,” made with a Spanish pattern.