Walker's barber shop
Known Name(s)
Walker's barber shop
Address
5th St. Warrenton, VA
Establishment Type(s)
Barber Shop
Physical Status
Extant
Description
Based on period documentation, the current location of the shop on South 3rd Street is not the same location listed in The Green Book. The photo depicts the current site on South 3rd. The original site was either in housed in either the “colored lodge hall,” now the View Tree Masonic Lodge at 107 5th St, now 11 S. 2nd or the Black & Gold Inn, now at 31 S. 2nd. Both buildings are extant. It appears that Walker’s moved to 4th St, now 3rd St, after the last Green Book listing.
Detailed History
Robert Walker, who turned 85 in 2018, ran his father’s barber shop. He passed away recently. The Fauquier Times published an article about Mr. Walker: https://www.fauquier.com/news/from-the-pages-of-the-green-book/article_913d58fa-090d-11e9-86b9-3fe9a52a5e6c.html
Volume 9, number 11, August 2, 1946 of "The Circuit," a Fauquier County African-American newspaper, indicates that Buddy Walker took over Phil's Barber Shop in that year. Phil then opened a barbecue restaurant. Both businesses were on Fifth Street, possibly in the same building. A 1940 ad in "The Circuit," volume 3, number 6, March 1, 1940, notes that Phil Morgan's Barber Shop offered shampooing, massaging, special servcies for ladies, and expert barbers. Many thanks to Wendy Wheatcraft for this information and for "The Circuit" ads.
It appears that the location of the barber shop today is the not same as that mentioned in the 1940 and 1946 ads.
