Originally founded in 1952 as the Boston-based workwear brand Abington Shoe Company, founder Nathan Swartz took over the company in 1955 and moved production to a sleepy, windswept New England town. Abington Shoe Company specializes in the construction of sturdy, waterproof footwear for workers in New England's harsh environment, hence the idea for the original yellow 8-inch Timberland boot, first produced in 1973. Three years later, the iconic 6-inch silhouette we know today is made - a premium boot whose high popularity is decisive for the family company's name change to Timberland.