Gate City Hat Company

[Alive'n'Amplified]

I recently came across an old straw boater (thanks for the lead, Bob!) from the Gate City Hat Company, manufactured out of Omaha, NE. The company started in the late 1800's. In may of 1890, they succeeded Parrotte Scripps & Co., which was involved in the fur trading business. However, I'm not sure how long the GCHC operated. Perhaps into the '20s and '30s. There really isn't much I can find on this old company.

One of the few things I found mentioning the company was this sales catalog, formerly listed on Etsy. Darn! Wish I could have snagged this.

Here was the building, located at 1023 Harney Street. You can judge the age by the cars on the street...

This snippet is small, but it describes Alexander Gunther as president and treasurer.

 

[Alive'n'Amplified]

If anyone has any relevant pictures or information about this company, please post it here. I couldn't find any threads or comments in the 'Lounge.

 

[Alive'n'Amplified]

Now on to the good stuff!...

Bob Hufford gave me a lead on an interesting straw boater recently. However, it was advertised as a "ladies hat", so I knew I had a good chance at scoring a really nice looking hat. I could tell this hat was special, given the primitive ribbon and ornate straw detail.

To an average buyer, I'm sure it got looked over without a second glance. To me, it was going to be in my collection. The hat arrived, and upon my initial inspection, the condition seemed extremely good. Holding the hat, I knew it was much older than I had expected. The taped cow hide sweatband was a clue of its age, at least '30s, maybe '20s. After I had researched the company, my thoughts went further back into the '10s. Could this be 100 years old? Maybe.

Getting back to the arrival, the seller had placed a large rubberband around the hat, pulling the sides of the brim up. Huh? Seriously? The straw was as flexible as a Milan, I had never expected something so unique. The hat fit nicely, the sweatband is soft and supple, and I thought there was some additional flex around the crown as I put it on and took it off. Unfortunately, this hat was damaged. The original seller probably didn't know, because it was underneath the white ribbon.

I didn't find the actual damage until I removed the ribbon. In another unfortunate event, I accidentally deleted the pics I took of the damage! Sorry!! So, use your imagination. If you look at the following picture, the seam is horizontal (like most straws). You can see the horizontal stitching as it connects each layer...

The bottom two ribbons suffered some damage that resulted in a separation. That's what was "flexing" when I put it on and removed it, like an accordion. I also found some dried glue, so I knew this was repaired before! Upon a keen eye, I also noticed some dark thread around where the ribbon bow was located. Hmmm, I bet this had a black or a blue ribbon originally. Whoever had this hat before me tried a basic repair and installed a new wide ribbon to hide it. The ribbon had wire edges, so I'm guessing it was done by a milliner.

I wanted the repair to last, so I took my time with it and sewed along the horizontal seam. I kept my stitches close and tight, using more than twice as much thread as I do putting in a new sweatband! One repair wrapped around approximately 3/4 of the crown. Another repair was needed on the other side a little closer to the break. Same thing, it was separated along the seam, so the repair was relatively easy, it just required some serious patience.

Okay, continuing... I really connected with this hat. What a pleasure it was engaging in the repair, really paying attention to the weaves and stitches that were originally crafted and sewn. It's just an amazing hat, beautifully crafted. I'm so glad to be the current custodian of such a fine piece of hat history. How about some pics?!...

 

[Alive'n'Amplified]

Notice the stitching around the reed...

The sweatband itself is still soft, pliable, and sewn tightly to the crown. The silk liner tip is absolutely gorgeous, with embossed patterns on golden silk. The glue dried out, so I was able to remove it during the repair...

Gorgeous!!!

Layer upon layer...

 

[BobHufford]

Woot! The details you have shared show an amazing weave. So glad that it is in your capable hands and you have been able to make it whole. Congrats!

 

[Alive'n'Amplified]

The ribbons are soooo thick. As a matter of fact, the brim is a total of 7/16" thick!!! That's almost a half inch!!! Amazingly, the hat doesn't weigh as much as you'd think. It's relatively easy to wear.

 

[Alive'n'Amplified]

More pics of the full hat coming soon...

 

[Steph]

That is a beautiful hat!

 

[RJR]

That is a beautiful hat!

+1

 

[Hurricane Jack]

The bldg as pictured is today a parking lot. Eleventh & Harney is one of the major intersections in a trendy area just off downtown Omaha known as the Old Market, where a lot of the upper stories of the bldgs have been converted into loft apartments with restaurants & retail space on the first floor. The entire block between 10th & 11th St on both the north & south side of Harney St. has been made into parking space.

Back in its day this area just off of downtown would have been borderline industrial.

 

[SurfGent]

That is very nice. Great find ! Bob is a style prospector

 

[Tonio]

Nice details, thanks for sharing.

From American Hatter Spring 1902:

Advertisement pin

 

[Alive'n'Amplified]

Wow. That's a pretty cool pin. Thanks for contributing!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Frunobulax]

Good get, A'nA! That is a beautiful weave. And it is pure satisfaction to bring such things back from the brink!

 

[EstherWeis]

What a beauty!

 

[Alive'n'Amplified]

Thanks!! Here are some additional pics. I was able to capture one of the breaks that doesn't affect the integrity of the hat. You can actually see some of the old glue, and my stitching to the right of the break.

And the factory tag...

 

[Alive'n'Amplified]

 

[BobHufford]

The hat is just amazing. Love the new ribbon. When do we get to see a head shot?

 

[Alive'n'Amplified]

Funny that you asked!...

 

[BobHufford]

Yessss...

How would they know 100 years ago that it would be made for you?