Gourley Barbershop (ca. 1900)
Gourley Barbershop (ca. 1900)
Gourley Barbershop was built in 1900 by Harry Gourley of Magnolia, Delaware. A one-chair operation, Mr. Gourley cut children and men's hair.
If a child wiggled while getting his/her hair cut the parents were charged $0.10 cents, the fee was $0.09 if the child sat still. Men paid $0.25 cents per haircut. Women? In those days most women had their hair done at home. They would not have gone to a barber.
Like other barbers, Mr. Gourley displayed the shaving cups used by his customers which showed the number of customers he served. Straight razors, leather strops (straps) for sharpening razors, and scissors were all kept near a water bucket, in which they would be rinsed and cleaned. Customers waiting to get their hair cut either sat on the bench or stood around the "Bucket-a-Day" coal stove to keep warm.
Outside the shop was a red and white barber pole. The red stripe on the pole symbolized blood and the white stripe symbolized bandages used to dress wounds. The downward spiral of the barber pole also had a special meaning, it represents the aortic blood flow as it moves downward through the body.
The barbershop was donated to the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village by the Town of Magnolia in 1992. The building underwent was refurbished by Cedar Rock Construction in 2021.