website watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Seager’s Barber Shop
John C. Seager
The old G.B Lewis Plant, barber
shop on Main St bridge seen in the distance.
["The Bridge" barber
shop, John Seager] (1946 Alex Hardie painting).
Shop taken out by March 26, 1904
flood
1881 Kiessling,
Elmer C, Watertown Remembered,
1976.
The
north side of the [Main St] bridge was then lined with business places resting
on piles driven into the bed of the river.
In 1881 huge cakes of ice roaring down in high water ripped out the
pilings of these structures and a part of the bridge. The building on the south side, a barbershop
operated by John Seager, was spared. Mr.
Seager installed three tin bathtubs - the first in Watertown - in his shop and
ran this ad:
The
Bridge
in the
Center
of Main Street Bridge
5
baths for $1
He did
a brisk business, Northwestern students
being among his best customers, until another ice jam in April, 1904, swept
away his building. All of the equipment
was salvaged. John Seager, and his son Charles
after him, continued to operate a shop for years at 5 Main Street. It is now the Downtown Barber Shop.
1887
05 04 BARBER SHOP IN TREMONT TO MOVE
The Tremont Barber shop will be removed to the building
two doors east of the Tremont House, opposite the Wisconsin National Bank, on
or about May 10. I will be glad to see
all my friends in my new quarters where I will have increased facilities for
doing satisfactory work in my line. J.
C. Seager
Cross
reference: “Two doors east of the Tremont” would be 119 W.
Main
1896
04 29 "The Bridge"
barber shop has been newly furnished and renovated; and I cordially invite
all in quest of good workmanship and prompt service to give me a call. The bath rooms are also in excellent
condition now, having been thoroughly cleaned and furnished with entire new
outfits. Try the baths for a more
comfortable feeling during the warm months; 25 cents.
JOHN C. SEAGER, Prop. WR
1901 SEAGER BARBER SHOP AND BATH ROOMS
Seager Barber Shop and Bath Rooms
1904 FLOOD DESTROYS SEAGER SHOP, March 26
05 26 John C. Seager's modern barbershop and
bathrooms, are the finest in this part of the state, and must be seen to be
appreciated. Mr. Seager invites many friends and patrons to call at his place
of business, No. 108 Main Street, where he will be pleased to show them
his new tonsorial parlors. WDT
___________________________________________________________________
Mayor Charles Mulberger
Mayor Charles Mulberger was without question
Watertown’s most flamboyant mayor, a very popular executive. He had a law degree but never practiced
law. He would come down to the business
section every morning around 10 o’clock, go to the old Seager Barber Shop for his daily shave and a trim, then walk over
to a floral shop and buy a fresh carnation which he wore each day in his botton
hole, then make the rounds of downtown business places, including the old Deutsches Dorf which was then the gathering
place for many Watertown business men and executives. It was by far the finest saloon Watertown
ever had and was located at the corner of Main and North Third Street, now the
site of the Wisconsin Gas-Electric building.
1909
01 29 O. F. Goeslin, the Canadian barber
employed at Seager’s; catch as-catch-can wrestling match WG
04 23 O. F. Goeslin, the Canadian barber
employed at Seager’s; breaks up robbery
WG
1934 SEAGER & BRAND BARBERS, 9 E MAIN, BARBER SHOP
1948
12 01 SEAGER AND BRAND BARBER SHOP TO MOVE
The Seager and Brand
Barber Shop, formerly at No. 9 Main Street will move to No. 5 Main Street. The building at No. 9 will be the future home
of Justmann's Sporting Goods store, now located at 602 Main Street.
1950 SEAGER & BRAND
BARBERS, 5 E MAIN,
BARBER SHOP
1955
07 07 PRICES OF HAIRCUTS AND
SHAVES
The prices of haircuts and shaves in Watertown are inching
upward, in line with rises in other communities, in some of which increased
rates have been in effect for more than a year.
Seager and Brand, Main Street barbers, announced today that starting
July 8 a haircut will cost $1.25 and a shave 75 cents. A child's haircut will cost $1 for children
12 years or under. All haircuts will be
$1.25 on Fridays and Saturdays.
1957c
Seager Barber Shop, John C Seager, 1957c, 5 E Main,
1950s-70s city assessor form, WHS_006_003a and 003b
Seager Barber Shop, John C Seager, 1957c, 5 E Main, 1950s-70s city assessor image
Seager Barber Shop
Charles Seager
1958
09 25 LEITH POOLE NEW OWNER
Leith Poole of 811 Garfield Street has taken over
the operation of Seager's Barber Shop at No. 5 Main Street. He recently purchased the shop and its equipment
from Charles Seager, who is retiring due to ill health. The building in which the shop is located is
owned by Mr. Seager. In addition to Mr.
Poole, other barbers in the shop are Richard Nelson and Donald Cowen. WDT
1965
06 30 LEITH POOLE RETIREMENT
Leith Poole, operator of Poole’s Barber Shop, is
retiring this evening from the barber trade after 49 years of service. He began his barbering in Fort Atkinson where
his father, Joel Poole, had a shop. He
learned the trade with his father at the age of 16 and remained there for 12
years. He went to Sheboygan where he
remained for five years and in 1932 came to Watertown, working for Seager and
Brand which was then located where Paul’s Dress Shop is now operating. Later the shop moved to the building now
occupied by the U.S. Army Recruiting Service after which it went to the present
location after a new building had been erected. That is at No. 5 Main Street
where the shop has operated since 1948. Mr. Poole took over the shop from the
late Charles Seager and for the past seven years has operated it as Poole’s
Barber Shop. WDT
Cross-References:
1898,
John Seager Barber Shop on Main St Bridge, Farmers Picnic Parade
1950s-70s, Seager
Barber Shop 1957c, 5 E Main, city assessor image
1883 First Seager Barber Shop opened in the Tremont House, according to 1954 ad [This 1883 date doesn’t fit in with other dates].
1954 ad has first Seager shop in
Tremont
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Seager Barber Shop, John C Seager |
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Seager Barber Shop, John C Seager |
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Seager Barber Shop, John C Seager |
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Seager Barber Shop, John C Seager |
1909c but pre 1935, 108 E Main |
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Seager Barber Shop, John C Seager |
1913, 108 E Main, barber shop |
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Seager Barber Shop, John C Seager |
Main St Bridge and 5 E Main, Watertown
Remembered |
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Seager Barber Shop, Main St Bridge, 1898 Farmer's
Picnic |
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Seager Barber Shop, Main St Bridge, 1898 Farmer's
Picnic |
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Seager Barber Shop, Main St Bridge, being washed
away, 1904 Flood |
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin