Colorful Characters — Abram Lahdenpera

Here’s another in my series of Colorful Characters, that is, various barefooters in history (or currently).

Today’s barefooter is from the early 1900s.

Here’s the story from a January 1917 issue of the Boston Globe.

     MAYNARD HAS WINTER BAREFOOT PEDESTRIAN

MAYNARD, Jan 15—With the thermometer playing rings around zero, sidewalks with a nice coating of heavy ice fringed with about three inches of velvety snow, and everybody muffled to the ears, Abram Lahdenpera came sauntering down Main at last evening for his barefoot walk. No small boy enjoying his first barefoot stroll in the Spring ever seemed more at ease than Abram as he glides along over the ice and snow.

Pedestrians stop, look at each other, ask the the regular question, “Is that guy barefoot?” and, finding the answer in the affirmative make for the first warm place to recover.

About five weeks ago night patrolman Samuel King was approached by the, at the time unknown barefoot Winter walker, who requested to know if it was contrary to the law to walk the streets without shoes during the Winter months.

On receiving the opinion of the officer that it was optional with the person, Abram immediately took off his shoes, and each week since then has been seen about town barefoot, with shoes thrown across his shoulder.

He says he does it for his health’s sake. Leg muscles like iron bands and a chest expansion that Jess Willard would be proud of are his physical exhibits which he proudly points to. He has been employed at the Assabet mills here since last Spring.

(Emphasis in story added.)

Well, normally, we recommend that folks don’t ask permission. But that’s in stores and the like, where a rule is likely to be made up on the spot. Out on the street that’s not going to happen.

Then, there was another story a few days later in the Concord Enterprise.

     TOOK HIS EVENING STROLL

Abram Lahdenpera Seen Friday Night Walking Around Barefoot in the Snow

Did you see him? With the thermometer around zero Friday night? Everybody was moving spryly along, muffled to the ears, when he sauntered slowly by with both shoes off and thrown across his shoulders. B-r-r-r and some more br-r’s but it was cold. And there was our old friend, Abram Lahdenpera, taking his evening barefoot stroll just for his health’s sake. How very healthful to put your nice little No. 7 bare tootsie wootsies right down on a cozy cake of ice, fringed with a six inch ribbon of velvety snow. But Abram says he has taken this health cure for a number of years. He possesses leg muscles like iron bands, and has a chest expansion that Jess Willard would be proud of. He has been seen frequently on the Main st. in his Palm Beach walking attire much to the amazement of the onlookers.

Mr. Lahdenpera has been working at the mill here since last spring, and previous to that had worked in many places in the United States including California, Montana, and other western States. Here’s the wish of the neighborhood that old Mr. Pneumonia does not catch him before the winter is over.

Frankly, I don’t know how he did it. Zero degrees (-18°C) is pretty well below my tolerance level.

Let me also address the snarky comment about “old Mr. Pneumonia”.

The various germs don’t have teensy weensy eyes to see if you have bare tootie wootsies. In that regard, as long as you keep your core warm, it doesn’t matter whether you have shoes on or not.