O'Hara's Barber Shop
by Lynn Sprowl
Title
O'Hara's Barber Shop
Artist
Lynn Sprowl
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
O'Hara's Barber Shop by Lynn Sprowl
This early barber shop originally was built to be the Wichita Township Hall in the 400 block of North Hydraulic. It was erected in 1881, and at that time the site was on the banks of Chisholm Creek. Over the years the small, front-gabled frame building served as a meeting place for township trustees and a polling place for residents. By 1955 the city had outgrown the township. Because it was government property, the Wichita Fire Chief condemned the neglected building so that the City could dispose of it. It was donated and moved to Old Cowtown Museum in April of 1955.
The exhibit portrays a business where men could obtain a shave, haircut, and the local gossip. The sign outside the museum�s tonsorial establishment indicates that baths were also available to travelers and cowboys as an added convenience. Barber shops offered an opportunity for men to enjoy camaraderie and lively debates about news and politics while enjoying a cigar or chew of tobacco. Due to the all-male atmosphere associated with barber and bath houses, Victorian-era women did not frequent such business locales.
Uploaded
December 16th, 2015
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