The Horatio G. Foss House

One of the most striking mansions in Auburn, this Spanish-influenced Federal revival style house was designed for Horatio G. Foss, a prominent shoe magnate at the turn of the century. Along with his partner Henry M. Dingley, Foss helped Auburn earn its nickname “the shoe city.” Along with other shoe magnates such as Jacob Roak, Dingley/Foss created a shoe dynasty on the wrong side of the Androscoggin. In business since 1876 mostly creating so called athletic shoes the Dingley-Foss Shoe Company helped Auburn make it big during the”white shoe run” in the early 1900's. White shoes were worn by nurses and medical staff during the days of the first World War. At the height of the run the company was employing over 2,000 employees with a daily output of 26,000 pairs of shoes. At its peek in 1922 Auburn was the fifth largest shoe production center in the United States. Due to the Depression Dingley-Foss closed their doors in 1932. Foss' mansion is located about three blocks from the center of town and Roak building that house the shoe plant. When Horatio's widow, Ella, died in 1941, she bequeathed the mansion and funds(over $25,000) to maintain it to the Woman's Literary Union (WLU). The WLU established in 1892 by Mrs. Thomas Rich, was and is an organization whose purpose is the intellectual and cultural advancement of its members and the community. Among its guests over the years have been Helen Keller and Eleanor Roosevelt. Over the years the property has won awards for its landscape and floral arrangements.