Sometimes, at the center of a community's history is a barber's chair, swiveling this way and that and gathering up stories.

Barbers are "always a repository of the past, because so much day-to-day life is part of the barbershop experience," said Mari Densmore, archivist at the Skagit County Historical Museum.

Fortunately, two Skagit County barbers collected thousands of photographs that capture decades of Skagit history. The new exhibit at the Skagit County Historical Museum is "Barber Historians: 'Just a Little Off the Top'" opens with an Oct. 5 reception.

The exhibit has a dual focus. The f...