The old Dunbarton Cobbler Shop returned to its hometown on Friday, Oct. 31, after being located for more than 50 years in Goffstown.

Dating back to before 1850, the cobbler shop was one of 26 known cobblers in the Dunbarton area. It is thought that Thomas Sylvester Wilson, the original shop owner, was able to maintain his business after the birth of the industrial shoe industry because he also owned a tannery, which supplied him with an easy source of leather.

Bud Noyes, the late Dunbarton historian, was working on his book, “Where Settler’s Feet Have Trod” when he discovered the shop in Goffstown at the home of Joan O’Connor and Robert Carberry.

The structure contains many of the original features, including wide-plank floors and horsehair plaster walls. One of the main timbers was taken from an older mortise and tenon structure and reused, so the precise date of the building remains to be determined. A recent discovery was the handwriting on the walls, which will be given closer inspection during the restoration project.

The Dunbarton Historic Awareness Committee spent the summer detaching the building from another structure and preparing it for the return to Dunbarton.

Carl Moorehead, Excavation Innovations and Dan Vankalken, Conifer Hill N.H. Landscaping, donated their equipment and skills, as well as other volunteers, including Roger Gagne, Barbara Torre, Dan Fradette, Andy and Donna Dunn, Bob Carberry, Joan O’Connor, Larry Petersen, and Jan and Janice Van De Bogart.

Though Noyes was not present at the big move, he was symbolically represented by his shoes, hanging from an antique nail on the rear wall of the structure, accompanying home his last historical find.

A glass negative was located that dated to 1865, showing the cobbler shop on its original site with a full view of the entire homestead and the Wilson family.

“The detail is amazing,” said Dunn, the project coordinator. “You can see cats on the stone wall and the lightning rod on the roof of the farmhouse. We hope to reproduce it for the schools so they can use it as a teaching tool for the younger kids.”

Once the building is restored, it will be moved to the Dunbarton Historical Society Museum, situated along the soon-to-be John Stark Scenic Byway.

The Historical Society welcomes all volunteers who would like to participate in this project, and is also looking for period tools, equipment and supplies to outfit the restored shop. An 1800s cobbler bench has already been secured, along with a trove of Dunbarton memorabilia from the Tucker family, including the only known photos of the original shop. All donations will be appraised for tax-deductible value by antiques dealer Mike Malloy.

If you would like to send a financial donation, mail your tax-deductible check payable to “Cobbler Shop Restoration Project” to 1011 School St., Dunbarton, NH 03046.