Barber Shop

In addition to providing shaves and haircuts for men, at one time barbers also performed surgery and tooth extractions. It was known that blood carried disease through the body, so it made sense to heal a person by getting the blood out of the body. Bleeding a patient or applying leeches to the skin to suck blood from the patient was a cure all for everything from a stomachache to a herniated disc. The red and white pole outside barbers’ shops originally advertised this service. Symbolically, the red represented blood and white represented bandages. The original barber pole had a brass wash basin at the top representing the vessel in which leeches were kept. The pole itself represents the staff that the patient gripped during procedures to encourage blood flow.

This building was moved from Leavenworth and restored by the Cashmere Explorer Post #88. Its furnishings are from frontier day barber shops of Leavenworth and Cashmere.