:: Hair Museum::

FASCINATING Facts

Leila’s Hair Museum Most communities have a historical museum. Only Independence, Missouri has a historical repository devoted exclusively to hair—human hair to be exact. For much of the nineteenth century the westernworld had a fascination with hair as heirloom, artifact and craft material. Snippets of hair documented family life and decorated personal treasures. Hair was woven into wreaths, pressed into lockets and even used to make buttons. Today we record milestones with the click of a cell-phone camera. Our Victorian counterparts clipped a lock of hair and recorded the date. Leila Cohoon began gathering hair-centric remnants of the past more than 50 years ago. Her personal collection grew until it warranted a home of its own. Now, Leila’s Hair Museum, located in the Independence School of Cosmetology, is also home to the Victorian Hairworks Society, a group devoted to reviving the almost-lost arts of hair embroidery and hair weaving. History buffs with a taste for the unusual will love this collection. The Hair Museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5.00 for adults and $2.50 for senior citizens and children under the age of 12. It is located at 1333 South Noland Road Independence, Missouri. skywestmagazine.com

Leila’s Hair Museum

Most communities have a historical museum. Only Independence, Missouri has a historical repository devoted exclusively to hair—human hair to be exact. For much of the nineteenth century the westernworld had a fascination with hair as heirloom, artifact and craft material. Snippets of hair documented family life and decorated personal treasures. Hair was woven into wreaths, pressed into lockets and even used to make buttons. Today we record milestones with the click of a cell-phone camera. Our Victorian counterparts clipped a lock of hair and recorded the date.

Leila Cohoon began gathering hair-centric remnants of the past more than 50 years ago. Her personal collection grew until it warranted a home of its own. Now, Leila’s Hair Museum, located in the Independence School of Cosmetology, is also home to the Victorian Hairworks Society, a group devoted to reviving the almost-lost arts of hair embroidery and hair weaving.

History buffs with a taste for the unusual will love this collection. The Hair Museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5.00 for adults and $2.50 for senior citizens and children under the age of 12. It is located at 1333 South Noland Road Independence, Missouri.

skywestmagazine.com