A Museum and Hall of Fame too!

Once again, this blog site is about the search for that little slice of Americana. And, I say search no further than the history and evolution of the neighborhood barber shops. Back in the day, your barber might have also been your dentist or surgeon. Furthermore, if you felt a bit under the weather, the barber could perform some bloodletting to cure what ails you. But sadly, “licensed” barbers no longer offer these services. The trade has evolved to mostly shaves and haircuts (…two bits). However, few can doubt the bond that one develops with their barber. Not to mention, the shop is the center for neighborhood gossip and sports discussions. The barber shop is a key element to every community. So, deservingly enough, it should come as no surprise that barbers have a National Museum and a Hall of Fame too.

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Oh, where to start with my many learnings during our visit?…the barber pole. First, the oldest, recognized, professional symbol is the barber pole. The poles date back over 5,000 years. The design of the pole came from the practice of bloodletting. During bloodletting, patients gripped a pole to help endure the pain. Afterwards, the barber would wipe up the blood with a white cloth. When finished, the barber placed this red and white cloth outside to dry out (and later reuse). This red and white “flag” outside the building became the universal symbol of the barbershop. And later, the bloody rag evolved into the red and white pole. The blue stripe was added later for purposes that seemed less clear in my research. You will never look at a barber pole the same again. By the way, George Washington died from bloodletting…truth.

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The museum featured barber chairs from the last 200 years. The variations in craftmanship and technology made these chairs far more interesting than you might think. Every shop had a collection of shaving mugs on the wall (ANSWER to Pre-post Teaser). As one of the few early sanitary practices, every customer had their own labeled mug specific to them. The cozy wood stove and the brass spittoon were also extremely important staples in every shop.

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Of course, the museum would not be complete without the tools of the trade. The museum features 200 years of razors, clippers, shears, and anything sharp. And, according to the Gillette razor manufacturer, some razors are even safe enough for babies. Lastly, let us not forget to mention the Hall of Fame. Truthfully, its more of a wall, than a hall. But, that does not diminish the honor and glory for the 73 inductees. I give you the Barbering Hall of Fame…

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I asked about the criteria to be inducted in the Barbering Hall of Fame. Basically, you have to be a barber who has made significant community/charitable contributions in your area. Then, someone has to nominate you. As near as I can tell, its more about community service than barbering. I scanned the board for any household names. Beyond the name of the guy that founded the museum (Ed Jeffers), only one other name had any meaning to me. That would be Vernon Winfrey…a barber from Nashville, TN. And yes, he is Oprah’s father. Finally, just below the Hall of Fame pictures, I found the one barber’s name that I had been looking for all along. The display case honored the most famous barber of all time. So, if you are a righteous American, you should know that we are talking about the pride of Mayberry, Floyd the Barber…

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There you have it. In a small Ohio town, called Canal Winchester, you can find the National Barber Museum and Hall of Fame. Furthermore, I wanted to give a shout out to Mike the Curator. We were not just aimlessly walking about the museum. Mike the Curator gave us the V.I.P. tour himself. Not only does this make the tour far more educational, it’s far more fun as well. Typically, the curators and/or volunteers at these small town museums are proud of their museum and happy to tell you all about it. And, that makes perfect sense to me because this was a Museum and Hall of Fame too! PT

Thank you for reading “A Museum and Hall of Fame too” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

If you liked that post, you may also enjoy reading https://travelingwithpt.com/ventriloquism-museum-its-the-real-deal/

If you want to plan your own visit to this museum https://www.nationalbarbermuseum.org/