What do these seven men have in common? Well, believe it or not, they all come from Hickory. They were all alive in the summer of 1907 around the time this photograph was taken. Oh yeah, they all are sporting the same hair style. In fact, that’s what got them in the club.
What club? The Slick-Em-Back Club. These young men, who would all go on to become some of Hickory’s business and community leaders, were home from college that summer with never enough money to properly show eligible young ladies a good time. In those days, renting a horse and buggy from the livery stable for an afternoon ride could cost as much as three dollars. Too expensive they said, so one of the fellows had a better idea. What if they pooled their money, rented a wagon, and filled it with straw. That way each of them could take a date for a ride out to Catawba Springs, which had a dance floor, a bowling alley, but more importantly for the boys, “a spiral stairway, leading to the lovers seat above.”
All was going according to plan until one (or more) of “the girls smeared chewing gum in the locks of their boyfriends.” No reason was given for this mishap, perhaps by accident or as a self-defense effort on the part of the fairer sex. The cause was never stated. When the wagon load got back to town, try as they might, the young men could not get the gum out of their hair, even though they “wasted gallons of benzine trying to wash the gummy substance from their heads.” Eventually, they gave up and walked over to the barber shop.
Five of them consented to getting their heads shaved. After two others were dragged in and “mule shears” applied to their scalps, all looked similar. Certainly, folks on Union Square questioned this new fad. The boys swore they were forming a new club. In this men’s organization, each of them held a title. They all decided that the ugliest among them should be elected as president. Other members of this band of “beau brummels” (slang for a dandy or person who gives exaggerated attention to their personal appearance) were slotted as VP or treasurer or some other forgotten designation so each had a special status.
For about twenty years, the details of the short-lived club were only known among the members themselves. Once an old tintype (photograph) was unearthed, they started to reminisce about the days of their youth and the story came pouring out. By then, the pranks of youth gave way to responsible lives but like everyone, they relived through the image, a time when they began to learn what consequences came with fun.
Photo: The seven original members. Hickory’s finest.
