The Origin of the Barber Pole

The modern barber pole originated in the days when bloodletting was one of the principal duties of the barber.  The two spiral ribbons painted around the pole represent the two long bandages, one twisted around the arm before bleeding, and the other used to bind is afterward.  Originally, when not in use, the pole with a bandage wound around it, so that both might be together when needed, was hung at the door as a sign.  But later, for convenience, instead of hanging out the original pole, another one was painted in imitation of it and given a permanent place on the outside of the shop.  This was the beginning of the modern barber pole.

After the formation of the United Barber Surgeon's Company in England, a statute required the barber to use a blue and white pole and the surgeon to use a red pole. In France, surgeons used a red pole with a basin attached to identify their offices. Blue often appears on poles in the United States, possibly as an homage to its national colours. Another more fanciful interpretation of these barber pole colours is that red represents arterial blood, blue is symbolic of venous blood, and white depicts the bandage.

Our new barber pole has been constructed and installed thanks to coustomers Bob "Stainless" Steele and "Big Brother" Randy Hensley. Several of the orginal poles had been vandalized and a new on has been constructed. Bob Steele, former Chrysler Engineer, took some basic materials and design from Mo and with a few engineering changes, constructed a beautiful new pole. This one is a little more vandal resistant and should last forever. Below are some pictures of the installation.

Prep the service and mounting screws, adjust custom mounting brackets and install pole.

Final adjustments........................................finished project!!!!                            The three amigos, Bob, Randy & Mo


Final payment agreement of "hair cut that don't look like a haircut".