Ontario Abandoned Places will be rebranded as Ominous Abandoned Places

The Great Shoe Tree

Active Other in Brant, Ontario, Canada

Jul 10 2013

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Recent status Active
Location # 8218

The Great Shoe Tree was all started by a Brantford woman.

The odd "shoe tree" on Green Lane in Paris, just north of Highway 2 began with a pair of Lenora Sherk's grandkids shoes that she nailed to an old tree.

"My husband,Bill,and I were talking and I said. 'You know what we need? A shoe tree!'"

Apparently the Sherks have seen other such trees. According to the Internet, it's a worldwide phenomenon with some trees featuring footwear that's looped over branches by their laces and other, far fewer, trees with shoes nailed to them, such as Lenora's vision.

"The shoes are worn out so people can't get upset and the tree is very old. It's not going to hurt it. It's not even a nice tree."

The tree collected a lot of soles at one point but Lenora says some ecologists went along the road cleaning up and cleared away most of the footwear donations.

"Some people take things too far," she sniffs.

Shoe trees in other locations have become actual tourist attractions and they're always popular with kids.

Comments

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6 years ago

I love this spot, I grew up around it, this tree is a legend

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10 years ago

It never ceases to amaze me how people can be so heartless and abandon their shoes like this

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11 years ago

I've seen a few 'shoe trees' around, but I've never seen one with that many shoes haha.

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11 years ago

Haha!.. I just found it in the public forum from May. Thats pretty funny, I remember it now..

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11 years ago

About you doing a nude decayed photoshoot, ...no wait!! that was someone else, nvrmd.. :-P lol

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11 years ago

What were we talking about?

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11 years ago

I think superss remembered...he's got a real knack for retaining information ;)

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11 years ago

Actually I was just kidding.. Lol

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11 years ago

We've ALL heard about it gs.. :-) There's a shoe tree in Orangeville too..

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11 years ago

This tree's got sole!

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11 years ago

I dunno why this is even on here...but since it is I'll add a few.

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11 years ago

You heard about that?!? :)

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11 years ago

There ya go ground state.