314 W Main - Rusted Roots Hair Lounge

This two-story brick Italianate style commercial building was built c. 1870. The cast iron storefront, made by the Madison Machine Company, was probably added in the early 20th Century. It has a one-story masonry addition and a one-story frame addition on the rear. At various times in its history, it has been used as a residence or a business, and sometimes both at once.

The front part of the building was used as a beauty shop in the 1920s. Later, George Hill, a tire vulcanizer, lived at 314 W. Main with his wife, Grace. He died in 1943, but through at least 1942 he used the building for business purposes as well. There is a wonderful photo of George and Grace with some tires and the tools of his trade. By 1947, the building was being used as a thrift shop.

According to the 1980 city directory, the structure was once again a beauty shop, Jean’s Beautiful People. Soon, however, John Ellsworth Wheeler acquired the building for his barber shop. He was a barber in Madison for 53 years, retiring and closing Wheeler’s Barber Shop on March 31, 2013. Wheeler was a veteran of the U.S. Army, in which he was a medic. After his death on March 16, 2014, he was buried at the Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

Current owner Kim Kidwell is the Proprietor/BarberStylist at Rusted Roots Hair Lounge, carrying on the traditions of both the barbers and hair stylists who came before her