Glendale Barbers and Barber Shops
Story furnished by Clarence Crocker
Reaves Barber Shop
Reaves Barber Shop was owned and operated by Walter D. Reaves Sr. The shop was one of the cluster of four stores located on the west end of the bridge crossing Lawson Fork across from Glendale Mills. Walter was married to Mattie Wofford Reaves, the daughter of Emsley and Martha Wofford and was of the Baptist faith. They became the parents of three children; Edith, Nell and Walter Reaves Jr. Their home was located just a short distance behind the shop at the corner of the Glendale/Whitestone road.
The very first hair cut this writer remembers was by Mr. Reaves. I was about five years of age. I’m not sure if he had a hydraulic lift chair or not, all I remember is that he placed a board across the arms of the chair for me to sit on. Today, August, 2010, the shop stands in total disrepair. The roof has caved in, window and door glass is broken and vines have almost covered the once thriving barber shop.
Walter D. Reaves Sr. died in January of 1950 and was buried in the Greenlawn Cemetery in Spartanburg. S.C. He was survived by; his wife, Mattie Reaves; two daughters, Nell and Edith; one son, Walter Jr. Other survivors are not known.
Mattie Reaves died Thursday, February 6, 1964 in the Spartanburg General Hospital. She was 76 years of age. Her survivors were listed as; one son, Walter D. Reaves, Jr. of Glendale; two daughters, Mrs. Nell Corn of Glendale and Mrs. Edith Porter of Savannah, Ga.; one brother, Flay Wofford of Dallas, N.C.; four grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Funeral services were held at the Glendale Baptist Church with interment following at the Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Spartanburg, S.C.
Glendale Community Barber Shop
The Community Barber Shop was located in the Glendale Mill’s Community Building across from the Company Store and was operated by various barbers. The shop had showers available for customers. Since the village houses didn’t have bath rooms until the late 1940s and early 50s, the showers were used pretty consistently on the week ends. A small fee was charged for their use. A shoe shine bench with a shoe shine boy was also a popular part of the shop on the week ends.
Oscar Burlie Baker was the first operator that I know about. Oscar was a native of Kyles Ford, Tenn, the son of Alfred and Lillie Walden Baker, He was a member of the Glendale Methodist Church, the Glendale Masonic Lodge, the Spartanburg Order of the Scottish Rites and the Glendale Ruritan Club. He was always active in mill and community activities. “Slim” as he was known, was a swell guy, a good friend to have. I was glad that he was my friend.
(Slim and I had a good laugh about a salesman who was waiting to call on me while I was out for lunch from my job in the mill. When I got home, I saw my son on the tractor plowing. I just drove on to the field and let him go get lunch first while I plowed. The salesman passed by on his way to my office. Finding that I was out, he went over to the barber shop to pass time. Looking at Slim, he said that he had just saw one of the craziest sights he had ever seen. Slim asked, what? The salesman told Slim that some nut in dress pants, a white shirt and wearing a bow tie was on a tractor plowing like he had good sense. Slim laughed and asked, didn’t you recognize the man? No, I don’t think I have ever seen that nut before. Slim laughed again and said, that was Mr. Crocker. Slim said the man turned red, white and blue and said, please don’t say anything about this to him. Of course Slim told me and I teased the salesman the whole summer about, “the nut in the white shirt and bow tie”)
Slim married Eva Lawing, the daughter of Thomas Fletcher and Lucy Shehan Lawing of Clifton, S. C. and they became the parents of two sons; William and Oscar Jr. Baker. They lived in Glendale village until he retired at which time they moved to the out skirts of the village on the Dogwood Club road.
Oscar Baker died Wednesday, February 26, 1962 at his home following a long illness. He was 57 years of age. In addition to his wife, he was survived by his two sons; William Baker of the U.S. Navy and Oscar Baker Jr. of West Columbia, S. C; four sisters, Mrs. Sophie Livesay of Kyles Point, Tenn, Mrs. Stella West, Mrs. Mary Fain and Mrs. Eva King, all of Spartanburg; two brothers, Claude Baker of Dayton, Ohio and Alonzo Baker of Spartanburg; six grandchildren. Services were held in the J.F. Floyd Mortuary Chapel in Spartanburg with interment following in the Greenlawn Memorial Gardens.
Eva Lawing Baker was a member of the Glendale Methodist Church and the Eastern Star. She had been a textile worker for some 43 years and an Avon representative for some 25 years.
Eva Baker died Sunday, July 21, 1996 in the Lexington Medical Center, Extended Care Unit, Lexington, N. C. She was 88 years of age. Her survivors were listed as: two sons, William F. Baker of Spartanburg, O.B. Baker Jr. of West Columbia, S.C.; one sister, Novella Ledford of Lakeland, Fla,; one brother, Haskell Lawing of Henrietta, N.C.; seven grandchildren, nineteen great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. Graveside services were held at the Greenlawn Memorial Gardens with interment following along side of her husband.
Tommy Jett , a native of Pacolet, S. C., came to Glendale in the early to mid 1940s and was an operator with Slim Baker in the Glendale Barber shop for some 10 or 12 years before Slim’s retirement. He was the son of Baxter and Fannie Jett of Pacolet, S.C.
Tommy first married Carrie Fowler, the daughter of Isaac and Mary Lockridge Fowler of Cherokee County. She was a member of the Montgomery Memorial Methodist Church in Pacolet, S. C. They became the parents of three daughters, Fannie, Joyce, and Catherine Jett; three sons, William, David and Doc Jett.
Tommy served as coach of the Glendale Ball team for a number of years. He was able to get some players from the Camp Croft Military base from time to time to play with the Glendale Team. Through this contact, Tommy was able to make acquaintances with various Army personnel including a number of Army Officers.
Back in the early fifties, a Army Major whom Tommy had come to know, came into the barber shop to see Tommy. Tommy brought the Major over to the store to get a check cashed. Since Tommy knew him personally and the Major claimed to be in the Pentagon, (he even invited us to drop by to see him when in Washington) I didn’t hesitate to cash the check for $50.00. Turned out the check was no good. Since I knew the local F.B.I agent, I contacted him about the case. Turned out that the Major had six or eight warrants against him, one was by his wife. The Major was picked up in low state, brought back to Spartanburg, tried and sentenced to time in the Federal prison. He had left the army years before and had ripped off a number of people, including his wife for better than fifty thousand dollars.
Carrie Fowler Jett died at her home in Spartanburg on Saturday, May 26, 1962 at the age of 58, following a three year period of illness. Survivors were listed as; her husband, Tommy Jett; daughters, Mrs. Fannie Lovings and Mrs. Joyce Bishop of Glendale, Mrs. Catherine Lawson of Pauline, S. C.; sons, William, David and Doc Jett, all of Glendale; sisters, Mrs. Nannie Harris of Duncan, S. C., Mrs. Hettie Fisher of Pacolet; brothers, William Fowler of Cherokee County, Charles Fowler of Pacolet Mills and Steward Fowler of Gaffney, S. C; nineteen grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Services were held at Floyd’s Mortuary Chapel with interment following in the White Rose Cemetery in Pacolet. S. C.
Tommy Jett married Ethel Thompson following the death of his first wife. She was also a native of Cherokee County, the daughter of Thomas Clayton and Mary Cook Rollins. She was the widow of Hobson Thompson. They lived in Spartanburg. No children were born to Tommy and Ethel.
Tommy Jett died Monday, March 29, 1971. Survivors were; his wife, Mrs. Ethel Thompson Jett; his daughters, Mrs. Fannie Lovings and Mrs. Joyce Bishop of Glendale, Mrs. Catherine Lawson of Pauline; his sons, William, David and Doc, all of Glendale. Services were held in the First freewill Baptist Church of Spartanburg with interment following in the White Rose Cemetery in Pacolet.
Ethel Jett died Saturday, October 19, 1991, in the Mary Black Hospital in Spartanburg. She was 83 years of age. No schedule for services or burial was listed in her obituary. Forest Lawn Mortuary in Boiling Springs, S. C., had charge of the services.
Shealy B. Hammett joined Tommy Jett following the retirement of Mr. Baker and became the village barber, taking charge of the shop following Mr. Jett’s retirement. The Community building was torn down and replaced by the new Gymnasium in 1950. The barber shop was moved into the new building and Mr. Hammett was, to my knowledge, the last barber to operate the shop before it was closed following the mill’s closing.
Shealy was a native of Cherokee County, the son of Charles B. and Sara Biggerstaff Hammett. He was a member of the Southside Baptist Church in Spartanburg and the Glendale Masonic Lodge.
Shealy married Edna Burgess, the daughter of Thomas M. and Sally George Burgess of Spartanburg. She was employed with the S.C. Department of Social Services. She was a member of the Southside Baptist Church and the Spartanburg Business and Professional Women’s Club. They became the parents of three children; Ruth, Wayne and Elliot Hammett. They lived on the Washington Road at East Spartanburg, S. C.
Shealy Hammett died on January 23, 1973 in the Spartanburg General Hospital following a long illness. He was survived by his wife, Edna Hammett; one daughter, Mrs. Ruth Black of Cross, S. C; two sons, Wayne Hammett of Mayo, S. C. and Dr. Elliott Hammett of Durham, N. C.; three sisters, Mrs. Gertrude Mathis and Mrs. Alice Guest of Gaffney, S.C. and Mrs. Fred Brown of Spartanburg; four brothers, John Hammett of Great Falls, S. C., Dr. Horace Hammett and Dr. Julius Hammett of Columbia, S.C., and Roy Hammett of New York City; four grandchildren. Funeral services were held in Floyd’s North Church Street Chapel with interment following in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens.
Edna Hammett remarried following the death of Mr. Hammett. Edna Hammett Stone died on Saturday, April 5, 1986 at her home on Washington Road in Spartanburg. She was 74 years of age. Survivors were listed as; daughter, Mrs. Ruth Hammett Black of Cross, S.C.; sons, Dr. Elliot Bryan Hammett of Chapel Hill, N.C. and Wayne Hammett of Rock Hill, S.C.; sisters, Mrs. Esther B. Orr of Allendale, S.C., Mrs. Ruth B. Knox of Spartanburg; brother, Paul Burgess of Greenwood, S, C.; four grandchildren, four step grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Funeral services were held at Floyd’s Greenlawn Chapel with interment following in the Greenlawn Memorial Gardens.
Barber Shop at an earlier date.
Jett’s Barber Shop
Jett's Barber Shop was owned and operated by Gladys Ogle Jett with the assistance of her husband. The shop was located above the cluster of stores on the west end of the Glendale Bridge across the river from the village.
Gladys Ogle was the daughter of Sidney Monroe and Lois Simmons Ogle of Glendale. She was married to William Baxter Jett of Pacolet. She was a member of the Glendale Baptist Church where she taught in the Children’s Sunday School Dept. She was a member of the Young at Heart Senior’s group, the Women’s Missionary Society and the Church Choir.
Gladys, “Bunchie” as she was known, died August 2, 1992 at the Mary Black Hospital. She was 61 years of age. She was survived by her husband, William B. Jett; two daughters, Mrs. Mimi Lynn Wells of Spartanburg, Mrs. Valeria Sawyer of Campobello, S. C.; one son, Rev. Ralph Jett of Salisbury, N. C; three brothers, Paul Ogle of Spartanburg, Ralph Ogle of Reno, Nev, and Richard Ogle of Grapevine, Texas; five grandchildren. Funeral Services were held at the Glendale Baptist Church with entombment following in the Greenlawn Memorial Gardens of Spartanburg, S. C.
William B. Jett was a native of Spartanburg County, the son of Tommy and Carrie Fowler Jett of Pacolet, S. C. He was a member of the Glendale Baptist Church where he served as a Deacon. He was past President of the Glendale Men’s Club and a volunteer fireman with the Glendale Fire Department. He was a veteran of WW2, serving with the Navy Special Forces.
William, “Buck” as he was known, was remarried to Gladys Hyder Linburg, the widow of Mickey Linburg, the daughter of Curtis and Kate Hyder of Spartanburg. She was a member of the Glendale Baptist Church, a member of the Church Choir and the Seniors Young at Heart group.
William B. “Buck” Jett died Thursday, March 25, 2004. He was 78 years of age. He had retired from Beverage Air Company in Spartanburg, S.C. after having worked as a barber for many years. Survivors were listed as; his wife, Gladys Linburg; one son, Rev. Ralph “Eddie” Jett of Chesnee, S.C.; two daughters, Mrs. Mimi Lynn Wells of Spartanburg, Mrs. Valeria Sawyer of Campobello, S.C.; two step sons, Rick Linburg of Greenville, S.C. and Bobby Linburg of Spartanburg; two step daughters, Mrs. Nancy Collins of Pelion, S.C. and Mrs. Marilyn Hammond of Spartanburg; twelve grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. Funeral service were held at the Glendale Baptist Church with entombment following at the Greenlawn Memorial Gardens of Spartanburg.
This web site has been started as a public service to share the story of Glendale. See more information about Mary and her Glendale connection at Mary McKinney Teaster.