Wooden shoes or clogs were originally worn by male and female peasants throughout Europe. These types of foot coverings originated in the early 1300s. Wooden clog shoes were designed as practical foot coverings that provided protection and comfort from harsh elements such as snow, mud, manure and water. Throughout their long history, they were traditionally worn by peasants who toiled in agriculture. In the Netherlands, they are referred to as “klompen” in Dutch.
Wooden clogs originated in Holland or Netherlands and spread to France, Germany and the Scandinavian countries. They became the most worn work shoes in Europe. The term “clog” comes from the word “calceus,” which was Latin at the time of the Roman Empire. These early types of shoes had wooden soles and leather straps over the top of the foot. Eventually, the demand for an enclosed shoe evolved to protect the feet from wet and cold elements of northern Europe.
The strong foot support-type shoes were the favorite choices for miners, farmers and construction workers. They were thus considered utilitarian rather than fashionable. The nobility of Europe did not wear them as they became associated with peasant lifestyle. In Holland, wooden shoes were worn by farmers, fishermen, factory workers, artisans and other trade jobs to protect their feet. Nails, fishing hooks and other sharp tools couldn’t penetrate wooden shoes.
The first guild of clog makers dates to 1570 in Holland. The European Union had declared them its official safety shoes. Different professions have slightly different-shaped clogs. Farmers’ clogs have a larger square nose to prevent sinking in the mud. Fishermen have pointed ones to help sort out the fishing wires. Workers’ clogs are plain and undecorated.
Clog makers were referred to as “bodgers”. Certain woods like balsa, alder, willow, beech and sycamore were the favorites of the clog makers. These woods did not split easily. Traditional wooden clogs are made from blocks of wood. Clog makers would wet down and axe them into relative shoe shapes. Afterward, the blocks were allowed to air dry. They could then use wood rasps and other tools to create the finished products. Some clog makers painted scenes on them or used wood burning tools to create decorative motifs. They then applied clear sealants like varnish, tung oil, etc. to make them more appealing to customers. Eventually, the boring machine was developed to hollow out the interior to accommodate feet in various sizes. Many villages had their own designs and patterns for the wooden shoes. Styles varied according to the countries or regions where they developed.
Clogs make a characteristic clicking sound when walking on hard surfaces. As one walks, they develop a rhythm that inspired clog dancing during the Victorian era in England. Clog dancing eventually made its way to America during the 18th century. Those early wooden shoes gave rise to modern American tap dance shoes. Throughout the late 20th century in Europe and the United States, clogs became very fashionable. Modern clogs borrow from the traditional clogs with wooden soles combined with leather or cloth straps.
A few years ago, my wife and I traveled to Kentucky for sightseeing and antique shopping. We stayed in a hotel where there were many clog dancers practicing for a competition in the city. Those girls wore them and practiced clogging everywhere they went in the hotel, even in the elevators. A recent TV ad featured a whole family of cloggers clogging everywhere in their apartment even while eating, doing chores, brushing their teeth, etc.
In 2016, my wife, Jeri, and I joined a tour of “World War II and the Western Front” countries of England, France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. While in the Netherlands, we took a side trip to a local wooden shoemaker’s business. He demonstrated the above-described procedures for us. Of course, there was a gift shop area where visitors could purchase shoes with a variety of sizes and decorations. I didn’t buy any there because of space limitations in my suitcase, but I found some authentic ones in local antique malls that were nicely decorated with windmills. For Oktoberfest in my German classes, I wore them along with lederhosen, long white socks, a white shirt, blue and white suspenders (Bavarian colors), and a three-cornered hat with lots of German pins from Germany and other German-speaking countries. I allowed some of the students to try walking in the shoes. They are tricky to walk in on terrazzo floors. Herr Lewis became the Mad Bavarian for a day.
DeKlomp Wooden Shoe and Delft Factory in Holland, Michigan, makes wooden shoes in the U.S. They use poplar wood to make their shoes. Their main carver was specially trained and received his diploma in wood carving from the Netherlands. Their website says the shoes are good for gardening, getting the mail and general use. They are frequently found in antique malls and shops here in the Midwest.
A local wooden shoemaker named Gerhard (George) Deymann plied his shoe-making trade in Teutopolis making wooden shoes that were practical for early German pioneers in their farming life. George was born in 1849 in Kleinstaffen, Hannover, Germany. His family came to Teutopolis in 1863, and he married Mary Uthell in 1877. They had nine children most of whom didn’t survive to adulthood.
George’s wooden shoes were impervious to mud, cold, water and cow manure on the farms. George made them from linden wood, which was easier to work with. The shoes were worn with heavy woolen socks to help keep them on their feet during work hours. Some of his early examples are in the Teutopolis Monastery Museum. George also sold some of his wooden shoes as souvenirs for 50 cents to $1 per pair. When Gov. Henry Horner visited Teutopolis in 1936 for his re-election tour, George presented him with a pair of his wooden shoes. Horner sent him a thank you note when he arrived back in Springfield.
In the early years, local school children would put their wooden shoes out on Dec. 5 to hold treats delivered by St. Nicholas for St. Nicholas Day on Dec. 6.
George’s main business was the Deymann Brick Yard, which he ran for many years. Some of his bricks are still in some of the early buildings in Teutopolis. He usually did regular amounts of his soft brick for various businesses and homes in the Teutopolis area. One huge order he filled was for 600,000 bricks in 1895. His brick and stone quoins Folk Victorian-style home is now called the Wooden Shoe Haus bed and breakfast. His small workshop behind the house was where he carved his wooden shoes. His house and workshop are located at 210 N. Pearl Street in Teutopolis. This property is now owned by Leo and Debra Kitten. The house has been owned by the Kitten family since the 1930s. In the small house behind are over 150 pairs of miniature wooden shoes donated by a previous Airbnb customer.
Deymann died on Oct. 5, 1937, at age 88 and is buried in St. Francis Cemetery alongside his wife, Mary.
The local Teutopolis sports teams were named the Wooden Shoes by Jerry Griffin, a local teacher, coach and administrator. He served 45 years as a business teacher in Teutopolis Unit 50 and coached basketball and tennis teams. Jerry and Ralph Koelsch, a Latin and biology teacher, helped start the National Trail Conference in 1932. Jerry became the first lay superintendent in 1970. I was hired at Teutopolis Unit 50 School District in 1972 after I was interviewed by Griffin and the school board for the job of German teacher. I replaced the previous German teacher Susan Gentry, who married and moved away. I met her several years later at a foreign language conference in Chicago.
If you have any memories or comments to share, contact Phil Lewis at wootongs@gmail.com or phone him at 217-342-6280.
