Walk-Over shoes

Walk-Over shoes is a historic shoe brand in the U.S. It was founded in 1874 by George Eldon Keith under the name George E. Keith Co.^[1][2][3] He donated land to Brockton, Massachusetts and Keith Park was named for him.^[4]

Ad in Ladies home Journal for Walk-Over ladies shoes

Shoemaking was a family business, though the brand gained recognition and popularity over the years, with George E. Keith (February 5, 1850 – December 8, 1920) opening a factory and expanding the business.^[5][3] In 1899, a store was established in London, and in 1902, a women's shoe line was introduced.

By 1920, Walk-Over had multiple production plants, factories, a distribution center in St. Louis, and stores in England and France.^[5] It also had stores in various cities, including Detroit and Chicago, with the Detroit store located at 152 Woodward Avenue.^[6][7][8] Walk-Overs were even sold by L.L. Bean when it operated as a shop.^[9]

The shoes were made in the Campello section of Brockton, Massachusetts,^[10] as well as Middleboro, Massachusetts.^[11] In 1919, Keith gave a talk at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City about Walk-Over's export business.^[12] The company filed an unfair competition suit against a store selling shoes as Walk-Overs that were not from the company.^[13]

Walk-Over also made shoes under contract for department stores.^[14] Walk-Over released a postcard set of 24 famous Americans to advertise its shoes.^[15]