A Barbershop's Role in a Small Town

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My great-great-grandfather, John Thomas Uptegrove, was a barber in Elsberry for over fifty years.* According to his obituary, he learned the barber trade from Will Foster. John Uptegrove started in the barber trade on February 1, 1901. Shortly thereafter, he partnered with Ewing Watts and they operated the barbershop together until Mr. Watts’ death in May 1931. He then operated his own shop until his retirement. John Uptegrove served over five generations of patrons during his tenure as barber (Tom Uptegrove Barber for 52 years, Dies).

Barbershops in small towns played a key role within the community. Barbershops often served multiple purposes. Early barbers had to play the role of barbers, dentists, surgeons, and even bloodletters. Around the start of the twentieth century, barbers became solely focused with the cutting and styling of hair (Barber Schools). My great-great-grandfather would have been a barber that styled and cut hair as well as facial shaves.

During the early to mid-1900’s, people used barber shops as places “where customers played games such as chess, cards, and dominoes, while having conversations about local gossip, politics, and community affairs” along with being a place to get their hair cut (National Museum of African American History & Culture). Barbershops also played a vital role in white communities, serving the same purpose. Being a barber in the 1900’s was a highly respected trade serving the same purpose for men as in the African American community. (Rubio) Barbershops served as the social center in many communities. Given the possible locations of the barbershop, I believe that John Uptegrove’s shop could have been the social center of Elsberry. Barber shops were also known as a place where men would gather to sing, thus coining the phrase, barbershop quartet. Most songs that were sung were simple and easy to harmonize (Rubio).

Barbershops also provide an economic benefit to a small town economy. This is because some men would come in daily to receive a shave. Those men then spend money elsewhere in town gathering daily supplies. When a community shops at small businesses, it keeps money circulating throughout the town (Artistic Nails & Beauty Academy). My great-great-grandfather’s barbershop helped money circulate throughout Elsberry for over fifty years. When men would go out to get a haircut, they probably also stayed local to get other supplies necessary for home. There are fewer and fewer barber shops today due to many factors. Bigger cities are being catered to by big box stores for a one stop shop where you can get many items in one place at lower prices which essentially runs the small town business owner right out of business. Also, there is a rising trend towards men’s salons. These salon’s provide essentially the same services as a traditional barbershop, but on a more upscale side. Men are seeking out pampering sessions where the traditional barbershop can not provide. The impression most men have of a barbershop is a place where “ old men with little hair to worry about or young boys who don’t have anyone to impress” go (Barber).

During the early 1900’s, a citizen could easily recognize where the barbershop was by the red and white striped pole outside the building. This was an easy recognizable sign people could recognize. This also ties back to the job of bloodletting. The red stripe represented the blood and the white stripe represented healing (Barber Schools). A blue strip was added later to represent the USA. A man not only would get his hair cut in a barbershop but could also get a close shave. This entailed the barber lathering up his client’s face and using an open razor to get a close shave and then have a warm towel placed on his face once the shave was done.

As previously stated, there is a decline in the traditional barber shop in the white community, but the trade is thriving in the black community. There has been a definite shift of definition of what a barber’s role is and what most professional men want in terms of pampering and the type of building they want those services in. I believe the shift to this is that smaller towns are having a harder time supporting local businesses due to the fact that there are more and more of these men’s salons opening up as well as the walk in hair salons such as Great Clips. Most middle-aged men don’t have the time to sit and gossip today as they did back in the 20th Century. Small towns have become more like commuter cities as opposed to thriving communities with the evolution of cars and the growth of big chain companies.

*The barbershop was located where Brumagin Clothing and Cleaners formerly was and is now the parking lot behind Providence Bank across the road from the post office, just off of North Third Street.