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The History of Basketball Sneakers

The sneaker is synonymous with pop culture and fashion, brands like Converse, Nike, PF Flyers and Reebok have created iconic sneaker styles and looks that resonate throughout the history of footwear.

The journey to basketball sneakers started in the mid 1800’s. The tennis shoe, made of cloth and rubber, was created. There was no left or right shoe designation and they were very crude. However, the shoes were very popular as a welcome alternative to constricting boots.

rubber tennis shoe crude victorian 1840 hayward rubber

1840’s tennis shoe, Hayward Rubber Co.

By the 1880’s, rubber factories in the U.S. were at their peak making various boot, leisure and athletic footwear. A few of these factories as shown below are Candees Rubber, Albany Rubber House and Boston Belting Co.

Another popular rubber manufacturer during this time was of course, the Colchester Rubber Co. Colchester Rubber Co. was well known for their athletic footwear, creating baseball, bicycling, and lawn tennis shoes.

Colchester Rubber Co. 1888

1892 was a good year for Colchester. They showcased at the Chicago World’s Fair and the new sport of basket-ball had just been invented a mere 50 miles away from Colchester in Springfield, Mass. It was then that Irving Watkinson designed the World’s First Basket-ball sneaker as a prototype for a rubber shoe to be worn while playing basketball. We believe he based this design off of their popular “bals” athletic shoe, simply adding a toe cap, rubber outer sole and ankle emblem for game protection.

The inspiration for the World’s 1st Basketball Sneaker

Dr. Naismith, Inventor of basketball and the 1892 Sneaker

However, it was not meant to be. U.S. Rubber began buying up all the rubber companies in the United States in order to form a monopoly on the industry. U.S. Rubber made George Watkinson, owner of Colchester, an offer he couldn’t refuse, a position as Vice President of U.S. Rubber. The factory was promptly shut down and all its equipment moved to U.S. Rubber’s factory in Massachusetts. It was there they introduced the high-top sneaker to the world.

U.S. Rubber (Keds) Sneaker.

It was here the term “sneaker” was coined. An advertiser working for U.S. Rubber noted the shoes were silent when you walked, allowing you to “sneak” up on someone. Sneaker gangs of young hooligans started roaming the streets of NYC, causing mischief.

sneaker gang victorian 1890s keds colchester rubber

Sneaker gangs, NYC

US Rubber Sneakers, early 1900’s

By then, Marquis Converse (who worked with George of Colchesters at the US Rubber Factory) had left his job at U.S. Rubber to start his own company, called the Converse Rubber Co. Converse came out with his familiar sneaker around 1917. Undoubtedly inspired by his fellow designers, the Converse sneaker is a nostalgic piece of American history.

By the 30’s and 40’s sneakers were in full swing. BF Goodrich patented the “Posture Foundation” insole, those sneakers became known as “PF Flyers.” and were worn by many from the 30s-early 70s before enjoying a resurgence in popularity when they were bought by New Balance in 2000.

Another forgotten, yet interesting, brand of sneakers during the 30’s was Witch Elk. They created the black panther sneaker made of Kangaroo and used for basketball games. The company folded during the depression, never to be heard from again.

In 1949, U.S. Rubber (Keds) introduced their basketball sneaker, the Pro-Keds Royal. Kareem Abdul Jabbar is pictured here in his Pro-Keds.

Pro-Keds

One thing for sure is that basketball sneakers are still as cool today as they were over 100 years ago and they will still be worn for years to come. While more modern sneakers may be worn on the court these days, the old school look is perfect to be worn for most every other aspect of life.

The Colchester Rubber Co. Sneaker

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A History of Colchester Rubber Co.

1888

Colchester Rubber Co. is opened at the old Hayward Rubber factory site. Owned by George Watkinson, an immigrant from England, and his son, playboy Irving Watkinson.

1891

Colchester Rubber is enjoying it’s success and is known as a popular luxury shoe brand. They carry as assortment of footwear including sporting shoes, rubber boots and promenade styles.

Basketball is invented in December, 1891 by Dr. James Naismith who is looking for a game that can be played indoors by his YMCA team during the cold winters in Springfield, Mass.

1892

Colchester Rubber designs a prototype sneaker for the new game of basket-ball, that had just been invented 50 miles away. Irving Watkinson is believed to have been the designer as he was known as an avid sportsman. Shortly after, Colchester Rubber is sold to US Rubber (KEDS) in an attempt to form a monopoly in the rubber industry.

1893

Colchester showcases at the Chicago’s World Fair. There are also Colchester displays in several high-end shops around downtown Chicago.

Late 1893

The Panic of 1893 (economic depression) occurs. Colchester abruptly shuts their doors, telling their workers they will reopen after an extended Christmas break. They also tell their workers that they are removing all equipment to make way for new, state of the art machinery. Eventually, workers realize Colchester will not reopen and many leave the town in search of work. George Watkinson, former owner of Colchester Rubber, gets a job at US Rubber as Vice President and moves to Massachusetts.

2004

Our story began in 2004, when a pair of mysterious sneakers were discovered in the bottom of a closet at an estate sale out of Vista, Calif. After some tedious research, we uncovered the story of Colchester Rubber Co. We decided these sneakers and this company, shuttered in 1892, were way too extraordinary to keep stashed away.

Current

We are a group of vintage sneaker and history folks who love what we do- some of us have over 30 years of experience in vintage clothing, trends and history. Each of us handles a different aspect of the Colchester Rubber Co., combining into something special.

We provide a high quality, carefully curated vintage sneaker that leaves no detail unnoticed, from our historically accurate shoe details down to the Victorian era newspaper tissue print your sneakers come wrapped in. We hope you enjoy these sneakers as much as we do.