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The Barber on the Square

Noel McFarland: The Barber on the Square

By Anne Chlovechok

Noel McFarland, affectionately known around Noble County as ‘The Barber’, reflected on his life one day last week as we chatted and enjoyed coffee and Girl Scout cookies.

Noel, who grew up on a farm in Noble County and has worked as a barber in his shop on the Square in Caldwell for just short of 60 years, knows just about everyone in the county. And he’s cut a good percentage their hair.

Sitting in the Journal we watched an Amish fellow stroll by outside the window, and Noel recalled that growing up on the farm at Crooked Tree near Macksburg wasn’t very different in what people like to think of as ‘the good old days’ to how the Amish live today.

“We had electric, but that was it,” he said. Like many farm kids, Noel and his slightly older brother, Neil, got up early enough to do their chores, including milking the cows, before eating a hearty breakfast and catching the bus for school. Their mother, Edith, taught school for 40 years, and their father, Delmar, farmed.

The farm life wasn’t for either brother, and both, upon graduating from high school, headed up to Akron to attend barber school. Noel , who graduated from Dexter City in 1956, didn’t have a car so he rode a Greyhound bus up to Akron, where he attended barber school, graduating in 1957.

Upon graduation from barber school, Noel hopped back on the Greyhound, this time headed for home. He got a job with a barber working in the basement of what is now the Peoples Bank building. He stayed there for six months before heading back north on the Greyhound to take a job in a three-chair barbershop in Akron where his brother was working. He stayed there until an exciting opportunity opened up when a new shop with six chairs opened in a brand new shopping center. He took the job and stayed there until he decided to return to Caldwell in 1964.

“When I got back here in ’64 there were nine barbers working on the square! I bought my shop from Henry Bond. The shop had been operating as a barber shop in the same location for 100 years, although the building was replaced some time ago. Henry started out in the old wooden building that was here before he replaced it with the brick building I bought when  I was 26.”

Noel has operated that shop ever since, for 58 years. His daughter, Lisa Shaw, has a beauty parlor, Hair on the Square, in half of his building.

Noel has many interesting stories of life in Noble County, and he loves to talk to people. He served for many years as a fireman with the Caldwell Fire Company, and is now an honorary firefighter.

He was inducted into the Noble County Basketball Hall of Fame to honor him for being manager of the Dexter City team when he was in school.

He’s cut the hair on some interesting people, among them serial killer Thomas Dillan while he was a resident of the Noble County Jail, now the Historic Jail Museum on the square.

He has an autographed photo of country music star Connie Smith, whom he went to grade school with, hanging on the wall of his shop. He plans to take that home where he can enjoy looking at it.

Due to medical problems which have made it difficult to keep working, Noel has decided to retire.  His daughter will continue to operate her salon in his building. And Noel will continue to enjoy visiting with all the folks he calls friends here in Noble County.

“I want to thank the people who’ve been to my place. They’ve always been good to me,” Noel said.

Be sure to look him up and sit down to chat for a bit. He’s sure to have a good tale to tell.

 

 

10 Comments

  1. GEORGE Mitchell on March 22, 2022 at 3:08 pm

    I graduated from Dexter City also in 1960 Noel and my brother was in the same class , Are parents was good friends. enjoy talking to Noel when i wound be in town a pleasure to talk with.

    • George McGarry on March 23, 2022 at 10:44 am

      Are the dates correct? I thought he gave me half cut for 15 cents. I left Caldwell 3/3/1952.

      I Joined the Navy on that date.

      • Editor on March 23, 2022 at 10:57 am

        Hi, George. Just going by what Noel told me.
        Anne

  2. David Ramsey on March 22, 2022 at 5:58 pm

    As a kid we went to Noel’s shop. He cared in some way for just about everyone. When I got hired to work on the big muskie, I think he was as happy for me as I was to get a decent job. Enjoy yourself Noel.

  3. DeeDee Saling on March 22, 2022 at 7:37 pm

    His mother Edith was my 5th grade teacher. She taught us to make doilies and take them home and starch them . That was in 1967.

  4. Melissa Brown Massey on March 22, 2022 at 8:45 pm

    Happy retirement Noel! Enjoy!

  5. Ron Killian on March 22, 2022 at 9:10 pm

    Only man I let cut my hair after Harley Saling passed away.

  6. Bill Boyd on March 23, 2022 at 8:21 am

    Enjoy retirement from your 1st paperboy at the shop!!

  7. Bruce Smith on March 23, 2022 at 9:43 am

    When visiting Caldwell over the years, I always made it a point to stop at the shop and visit with “The Barber” to catch up on everything going on in Noble County. He and my uncle were best friends when they were young. Many laughs and good stories were shared at the shop. It just won’t be the same…..

  8. Eugene O Winberg on March 23, 2022 at 6:15 pm

    Noel, Since having moved to NC I have not seen you in several years. The square will not be the same.
    Happy retirement.

    Gene

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