The original officers of the Hoge-Montgomery Shoe Company were as follows: Charles E. Hoge, president; James F. Montgomery, vice-president and general manager; S. French Hoge, treasurer; Henry H. Roberts, secretary; Charles F. Strassner, sales manager. The business was established in 1889. It was originally known as the Frankfort Shoe Manufacturing Company, but was changed in name to the Hoge-Montgomery Shoe Company in 1905. The capacity of the plant at the time of its inauguration was about seven hundred pairs of women's and childrens shoes daily (this in 1889), but grew steadily. The plant was enlarged and improved so that by 1912 there was a daily output of seven thousand, two hundred pairs, with the factory operating every day in the year with the exception of Sundays and legal holidays. The machinery was the most modern for that time period, and the plant was larger than that of any shoe factory south of the Ohio River. "Frankfort Shoes" were known all over the United States. The shoes of the Hoge-Montgomery Company were high class, being unusually well made were sold by the largest retail stores. Located near the Kentucky Penitentiary, the key to its success was the company's use of prison labor. Under a contract with the Commonwealth, the company paid the state treasury an annual fee of about $250,000.00 to employ the inmates. A portion of the fee was set aside for the prisoners' families, but the majority of the revenue went into the state's operating budget. Not all of the employees were from the prison. In 1912 the company employed approximately 300 non-incarcerated workers, a large portion of which were women and girls. Their working conditions were described as "pleasant and light at good wages," or at about ten dollars per week. The 1930s Depression had a devastating effect on the company, and by 1932 it failed along with many other Frankfort manufacturers. By 1938 the company was sold to the United Shoe Company and was producing shoes out of the plant under the name of the Barrett Shoe Company. This company did not survive and by the 1940s was once more defunct.
From the description of Minute book of the Hoge-Montgomery Shoe Company, ca. 1930s (Bulk 1936-1939). (Kentucky Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 221329751
