Cutting hair and keeping history: Barbers as local story keepers

Sometimes, at the center of a community's history is a barber's chair, swiveling this way and that and gathering up stories.

Barbers are "always a repository of the past, because so much day-to-day life is part of the barbershop experience," said Mari Densmore, archivist at the Skagit County Historical Museum.

Fortunately, two Skagit County barbers collected thousands of photographs that capture decades of Skagit history. The new exhibit at the Skagit County Historical Museum is "Barber Historians: 'Just a Little Off the Top'" opens with an Oct. 5 reception.

The exhibit has a dual focus. The first is the history of barbering. The second is the history barbers have preserved for Skagit County. Ed Marlow and Roger Fox, barber historians, are highlighted.

Barbers have existed for thousands of years. Their tasks used to include amputations, bloodletting and tooth-pulling, in addition to a simple trim. That grimmer history, luckily, is not part of the museum's exhibit. Instead, community is emphasized.

In Skagit County's early years, loggers and farmers came to town for a bath and a haircut. Barbershops were gathering places for news and sharing stories, especially for men.

In decades past, according to Jo Wolfe, director of the Museum, women enjoyed several common social outlets, such as Ladies' Aid Societies or the Parent Teacher Association. "But for men, it became the barbershop," said Wolfe.

Many decades ago, Bert Kellogg, a barber and photographer, shared thousands of negatives with Marlow and Fox, helping to get them started in preserving and displaying photos of the area's history. They put photos on the walls and shared albums of pictures. Soon, people offered their own. It kept growing.

The public examined the images and identified family members or events they knew. In this way, the community built the collection cooperatively. "They had a vested interest in it," said Densmore.

One result of gathering photographs this way is they represent more scenes from daily life than a professional photographer would produce. "We would be far poorer in terms of the history that has come" to the museum, said Densmore.

These barber historians preserved parts of the past that otherwise would have been lost. The photographs displayed represent a tiny fraction of the entire collection being loaned to the museum for the exhibit. It covers cover the 1880s through the 1960s, primarily.

Besides the photos, all sorts of tools of the trade and a barbershop chair are on view.

The Fox family started barbering in Skagit County in 1908 and continued for 96 years. The bulk of the exhibit focuses on generations past. But the museum staff is including some displays from barbers practicing today. After all, they continue to be part of many rites of passage for every generation.

The entire team at the museum is busy putting together the exhibit so that it is ready for the opening reception. 5-7 p.m. Oct. 5. The event is free, and refreshments will be provided. Marlow is expected to attend.