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Barbershop

Barbershop

"Barber" (from the Latin Barba beard). one who cuts and trims hair, saves beards, etc. 

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The barber shop was familiar institution in ancient Greece and Rome, and then, as now, was the center for exchange of gossip and opinion. For six centuries the barbers of Europe practiced surgery. This custom began when a papal decree forbid the monks to shed blood. They had been doing blood letting and other minor surgeries as part of their vocation. Now the barbers were given the tasks. Doctors were happy to turn such a trivial surgeries over. Eventually the barbers were allowed to lance abscesses and treat wounds. Thus the barber signs also carried the title of Chirurgeon and the barber pole carried the red and white striped pole which indicted that he could "bleed" and bind wounds. 

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The trade required a long apprenticeship until the 1890's when schools for barbering were established. This traditionally male sanctuary was invaded by thousands of women in the 1920"s when the shingle bob came in vogue. Widespread use of the safety razor and electric shaver has transformed U.S. barbershops once adorned with rows of individual shaving mugs and tends to limit the function of barbers everywhere to haircutting, shampooing, etc. (Taken from the Encyclopedia Britannica)

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This barber shop was built by Charles Dugas. Charlie was born in Concordia, Kansas in 1880. When he was 15 years old, he climbed a freight train and went to Chicago Illinois, where he found work cleaning up in a barber shop. He graduated to lather boy and enjoyed the job so much he enrolled in barber college and obtained his license when was 18. 

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He married and the family moved by covered wagon to Omaha, Nebraska in 1908. He went to work in a big ship (six chairs-No waiting) until 1915. He did not like the big city and wanted to work alone so the family moved to Clements, Minnesota. He moved several times after that - from Clements to Johnson, Minnesota to Randolph and finally in 1920 to Green Valley. After a year there he moved to Marshall, Minnesota and in 1926 back to Green Valley. 

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The family then bought a big building where they opened a pool hall. His barber shop was located in the back porch. This was a popular place in the early thirties. They had put rollers on the legs of the pool tables and on Saturday night, they would push all the tables to the wall and folks would dance. Beer was $.05 a glass and for $2.00 you could have a fun evening out. 

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Charlie tried, one more time, to barber in Marshall, but he liked the small town and the people so in 1938, he had this little shop built in Green Valley. In 1944, his wife died and Charlie moved in the back room of this building and kept the barbershop open long hours. 

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Charlie died in 1958, at age of 78, but he had renewed his license for another year of cutting hair. After his death the little shop was moved again to a property of Howard and Pauline Serryn. They planned to build a house there and we were able to obtain the shop from them in 1996. 

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Our barber chair and other equipment was placed in the back room to protect the chair and the tools of the trade. Step inside and wait your turn. 

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