Union County Sesquicentennial Shaving Permit

Illustration of an anthropomorphic mug wearing a white shirt and bow tie with shaving brush and overflowing shaving cream.  Black text on a yellow background.

Union County Pennsylvania was established in 1813 from area taken from Northumberland County. A celebration of the county’s founding occurred on July 21-27, 1963. Shaving permits were sold as a means to raise money for centennial celebrations in towns across the United States. Most of the time the fundraising effort was conducted by an organization called the Brothers of the Bush. The organization got their name because they sought to embody the men who founded the town, most of which would have had beards. The Brothers of the Bush would convene anytime a town would be preparing to celebrate an anniversary of the town’s founding. At the beginning of the anniversary year, men could enter a beard and mustache growing contest. The men had to be entirely clean shaven when they registered. Anyone who didn’t wish to participate was supposed to purchase a shaving permit. These permits ranged in price from a couple of cents to a couple of dollars depending on the year the celebration was being held. All of the proceeds from the sale of the shaving permits and the registration fees were given to the town’s centennial celebration fund.