One of his favorite spots was a local barbershop. When he “could not be found at his home or office, he could usually be located at Smith’s shop,” an early twentieth-century historian reported. “Fond of Smith and the gossip [prevalent] … there,” Sumner enjoyed his visits to the shop, which served as a social hub for Black locals and white abolitionists. He also liked the service: long before he was a senator, in 1844, he received an invoice for fifty-one shaves and one haircut from the owner, John J. Smith.
