Local miners would come into town on Saturday night, dirty from the mines, displaying shaggy hair and whiskers. Their first stop was the barbershop to get a shave, haircut, and a much-needed hot bath. This was the place to get spruced up for a night on the town! This building, constructed in Fairplay in the early 1870s and relocated in 1960, houses the barbershop and a dentist's office.
There are two wooden barber chairs in this frontier barbershop with well-worn deep red cloth seats. On the wall in small cubby holes are individual shaving mugs of the customers. Bottles of sweet-smelling cologne stand on a cabinet nearby, and a spittoon rests on the floor next to the armchair. A stand with a pitcher and basin is located within arm's length of the barber's chair. Two bathtubs wait to be filled with hot water in an adjoining room. No hot water faucets here! The water was heated on a stove by the pail-full and emptied into the tub. It is surely not the easiest way to get a bath, but it is well worth it to be rid of the sand and grime. Imagine the tales told here as the men scrubbed themselves with long-handled brushes. The talk of a new gold strike, a recent hanging, or some intriguing town gossip was sure to be discussed.
