Mahlon Haines

Mahlon N. Haines
Born	John Morrison Haines March 5, 1875 Old Washington, Ohio
Died	York, Pennsylvania
Alma mater	Maryland Agricultural College
Known for	Shoe sales, philanthropy
Spouse(s)	June Brown Irwin (m. 1909; d. 1951); Grace Marianne Churchill (m. 1957–62)
Children	3, with first wife

Mahlon Nathaniel Haines (March 5, 1875 – October 31, 1962) was a well-known businessman and philanthropist in York, Pennsylvania. He is most known for having built the Haines Shoe House just east of York in Hallam.

Early life

Haines was born in Old Washington, Ohio on March 5, 1875. His father died a few months later. His widowed mother, Elizabeth A. Haines, changed his name to that of his father. The family moved to Washington, D.C. in 1882 and lived above a store she owned on 11th Street SE; it was there that Haines worked for much of his early life. The store's profits helped pay for his education and Haines enrolled at Maryland Agricultural College (now known as the University of Maryland) in 1892. That same year, his mother built a much larger department store in Washington, advertised as "the largest store in the world, built, owned and controlled by a woman".

Haines left college in 1894 to begin his adult life. After his mother denied his request to become a business partner, he went to California and was a sales representative for several clothing stores in the West. Becoming engaged, Haines moved to Ohio to get married. When the relationship was broken off, he began a bicycle trip back to Washington to get his old job back. Haines later summarized his status then as "single, penniless and alone".

Business

Arriving in York, Pennsylvania in 1905 – the year he turned 30 – Haines initially rented a 3rd-floor apartment at 473 W. Market Street. After borrowing money to begin a business, he was bankrupt within two years. He then obtained a consignment of shoes for $127 from the local D.S. Peterman & Co. warehouse. With a combination of hard work and gimmickry, Haines became very successful in the shoe business. A particular gimmick for which he was known was his use of a customized Ford as a mobile retail store, which he would drive to the outer edges of town to show his products. By 1917, Haines had made enough to buy a farm east of York in Springettsbury Township which he named Haines Acres, along what would later be named Haines Road. He built his home on the farm in 1922, the year he accumulated 30 stores. By 1931, Haines had the largest shoe store chain in the United States, and there were 50 Haines Shoe Co. stores across Pennsylvania and northern Maryland by 1935.

Philanthropy and legacy

File:DETAIL OF LEADED GLASS IN DOORWAY. - Haines Shoe House, Hallam, York County, PA HAER PA-610-5.tif

A depiction of Haines in the shoe house's door glass

Haines regularly gave back to his customers and community. In 1922, Haines ran as the Republican candidate from Pennsylvania's 22nd District to the U.S. House of Representatives, though he lost to Democratic challenger Samuel F. Glatfelter. In the late 1920s, Haines donated a plot of land which became part payment for the first permanent Springetts Fire Company station. He hosted a celebration in September 1938 to commemorate his 33 years in York. Applying his "Shoe Wizard" nickname, Haines placed a half-page ad in newspapers throughout York County announcing a week-long series of evening entertainment for the public at his expense.

Haines owned 300 acres (0.47 sq mi; 120 ha) of fields and woodlands in eastern York County and beginning in 1941, he hosted a special "Haines Safari" gathering of area Boy Scouts there about every five years to celebrate his birthday. After the fifth such gathering in 1960, Haines donated the land to the York-Adams Area Council of Boy Scouts. Known as "Wizard Ranch", the scouts have year-round camping on the grounds and continue to organize "Wizard Safari" events there every four to five years, drawing thousands of attendees. Haines received the Silver Antelope Award from the scouts in 1944.

It was in 1948 that he began construction of the Haines Shoe House in Hallum with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. Via a newspaper ad in July 1949, he publicly thanked 20 local businesses that had a part in the project. Its exterior modeled after a work boot, Haines lived in the house briefly before using it to host older couples and honeymooners, providing them with a free weekend in the house, the service of his staff, and a free pair of shoes.

In late 1948, Haines "took a very active part in the Chapter meeting of Agricultural alumni" at his Maryland alma mater and stated "he would personally pay the subscription cost for any agricultural alumnus who did not feel financially able" to request the alumni publication.

Haines sold his York home to a local surgeon in 1952. The surrounding farm was sold to local real estate firm Epstein & Sons in November 1953, and it was developed into the Haines Acres subdivision. He gave $2,500 to the Boy Scouts in exchange for the housing development being named after him. The original home was ultimately demolished and its land became part of the development in the 1970s.

After selling a 4,000-acre (6.3 sq mi; 1,600 ha) cattle ranch in South Dakota in 1960, Haines gave his shoe business to 28 key employees. He also gave substantial gifts to farmers of his land, boy and girl scouts, YMCA, YWCA, his church, and York Hospital.

Upon dying, Haines gave his "shoe house" to his employees. The house has since had a series of owners and is currently a museum and gift shop open on weekends from March to October.

Personal life

Haines married June Brown Irwin (1885–1951) of Union County in 1909. They had three children: Stanley Emerson (1910–1966), Mahlon Nathaniel II (1912–1960), and June Irwin (1916–1918). Haines married Grace Marianne Churchill of London, England in 1957. He died on October 31, 1962 while under intensive care after collapsing with a "heart ailment" a few days after undergoing "a successful operation". In addition to his son Stanley and second wife Grace, Haines was survived by "three grandchildren and a number of nieces and nephews".