This old barber shop -- located in Conroe's historical downtown district and just a block East of the county's courthouse -- has been in continuous use for over a century. A historical plaque near its front door was erected in 2015 by the county to commemorate its long-standing tradition, and reads:
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The oldest barber shop in continuous use in Montgomery County. The building was known locally as the "Little Jack West Building" when constructed by Peter West and son John Henry "Jack" West circa 1911. It was first used as a barber shop by Henry R. Williamson in 1912 and later by Stovall Thomas in 1938. Bobby Joe Shepard purchased the building in 2000 from the West heirs.
The building's exterior was restored In 2007."
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Below is a Dec 17, 2014 newspaper article from the
Houston Chronicle denoting the history of this barber shop in more detail, and the upcoming establishment of this county's first historical marker. It also describes how this location tried to apply for a Texas state historical marker that same year, but was unsuccessful in the end:
"For nearly a century, generations of Montgomery County men have walked under a striped metal awning and past a rotating barber's pole to take a seat in well-worn green vinyl chairs to get a haircut.
Even a young Elvis Presley, who had come to town to perform at the old Davy Crockett High School in Conroe, is widely believed to have gotten his hair clipped at this barber shop a block from the county courthouse in 1955.
"I've come here since I was a kid," said customer Bill Coleman. "This shop was also the first to give my own kid a haircut, and he's now 35."
Coleman said the shop reminds him of days when the pace was slower, everybody knew everybody else and parents didn't worry as much about what their kids were doing.
The red brick building on Simonton Street that houses what's now called Shepard's Barber Shop was erected a century ago, three years after a raging fire destroyed most of downtown Conroe's then-wooden buildings. Except for an initial eight-year stint as a shoe leather shop, the building has been occupied by barbers. Those 92 years of haircuts make it the longest continuously operating barbershop in the county, said Larry Foerster, chairman of the county's historical commission.
It is also the first site that is expected to get a newly established historical marker bestowed by the fast-growing county. Each marker will be fashioned from cast aluminum with the society's emblem featuring the Texas Lone Star flag - a Montgomery County doctor made the hand drawing of the flag that was adopted in 1838.
"The county marker is meant to complement but not replace the state markers. Some sites could qualify for both," Foerster said.
Montgomery County commissioners, like their counterparts in Harris and Walker Counties, recently approved the creation of a county marker program. Foerster says county markers are needed because the Texas Historical Commission has experienced budget cutbacks that can delay the issuing of new markers. Also, he said a county maker can recognize a site that has local interest but that might not rise to the level of state significance.
Texas Historical Commission spokesman Chris Florance said the staff overseeing the state's marker program was slashed in 2011 from three employees to one but was raised back to two last year.
He said the number of markers approved each year has had to be limited, but once accepted, the markers are processed within a few months.
"We have had to prioritize and make decisions based on prominence and importance," he explained.
The 180-marker state limit was not reached last year, although 13 proposals were rejected for not meeting the criteria.
In order to qualify for a state marker, he said, buildings must be at least 50 years old and "demonstrate historical and architectural integrity and significance."
"Sites like the Barber Shop might not make the state cut if somebody like Sam Houston hadn't gotten his hair cut there," said Sharon Russell, who heads the county's marker program.
But she said the county considers other criteria such as the fact that the barbershop in Conroe, some 40 miles north of downtown Houston, has long been a "popular gathering place."
The barbers, some of whom have clipped hair at the shop since their teens, bragged that they usually know more about what's happening around the county than anybody else. But barber Steve Hamilton said all abide by the code that what's said in the shop stays in the shop.
One photograph tacked to the wall depicts four generations of one family seated in the green chairs and ready for haircuts. And they're not alone.
Not much has changed in the shop over the years, from the walls that are covered with historic black-and-white photos and the moose antlers to the shoeshine stand in the corner and the running checkerboard game in the waiting area. The shop is also among the only places where a customer still can get a close shave with a straight razor and afterward get wrapped in a steam towel.
Bob Shepard, who owns the building and began cutting hair there a half-century ago, says that about the only thing that has changed is the price of a haircut. It used to be a buck when he started. Now it's $16.
Barbers there can cut any style the customer wants, from a flat top to the traditional men's haircut.
"There's just a few things that we won't do. We don't do hair coloring or give permanents. This is a barbershop - a man's shop," said Leon Apostolo, a 53-year-old barber who began cutting hair there as a teenager.
He has had no notions of turning the shop into a salon or spa since he purchased the haircutting business there last year from Shepard.
Shepard, who soon will turn 80, began cutting hair at the shop when he was in his 20s and became the fourth barber to own the building 14 years ago. He was happy to sell the business to his longtime friend last year so he could care for his ailing wife of 60 years. She died in June.
Still, Shepherd is afraid that someone could come along when he dies and demolish the whole building. So he's been pushing and crusading for a historical maker that he believes could preserve the building's legacy.
"Once a marker is put on a building, nobody can tear that building down without the approval of the county or state who issued that marker," said Russell, who oversees the county's markers.
The county will be reviewing the shop's application, and if everything is in order, a marker could be posted there in weeks."