An old adage that most have heard at one time or another warns, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” Growing up as a child we suffered our parents’ admonitions to never wear socks or underwear with holes in them, for fear of the dreaded look on the face of the emergency room attendant if we should have the misfortune of being in a car accident or other malady. While daily bathing or showers on demand are the norm in today’s modern age, that certainly was not always the case. Niagara’s ladies of long ago felt that to wash ones’ tresses too often was a sure way to ruin the hair. As a result, many women with long hair would wear their hair braided up in a bun so it did not get exposed to the elements, and subsequently require more cleaning. It was felt by some, at the time, that washing of the hair was best if done once each year! Even if not taken to that extreme, it would certainly not be uncommon to find folks limiting their hair washing to once per month in the warm weather, and less often in the winter.

Some reports state that general bathing also followed a similar formula in the 1800s. Whether it was once a year, or once a month, it was certainly less frequent than currently accepted standards for hygiene. To begin the process, a large metal kettle would be placed in the kitchen and filled with water that had been heated on the stove. The pecking order might dictate that the head-of-the-household would be the first family member into the water. Next followed Mama into the same water, and then the children, with the youngest child taking the last and coldest bath in the communal “pond.” Once “clean,” Papa would slip into a pair of “Long –Johns,” that some men would wear all winter before taking them off.

By 1845, entrepreneurs being what they are, Niagara County had their own share of bathing establishments. One advertisement in the Niagara Democrat noted that Shower Baths were ready to use at the Big Mill in Lockport. Terms of $1 per person conferred the right to shower once a day or “oftener” throughout the year. The advertiser noted, “it is unnecessary to remark upon the comfort of daily ablutions, at least during warm weather, to say nothing of the conduciveness to health. Those wishing the luxury of being clean, can have the privilege of washing as often as they please.”

Douglas Farley, Director
Erie Canal Discover Center
24 Church St.
Lockport NY 14094
716.439.0431
CanalDiscovery@aol.com
www.NiagaraHistory.org