INSIDE PHILLY // The History Of One Of The World's Most Iconic Hats

John B. Stetson Company's Philadelphia Factory

Last month we kicked off our Inside Philly series, which takes a look at the creative traditions of the city that'll soon be 3rd Ward's second home. We explored the long manufacturing tradition of the Northern Liberties/Old Kensington neighborhood, which earned it the nickname "Workshop of the World." Now we return there to look at a specific operation that sprang up in that neighborhood.

Back in the 19th century pretty much everyone wore a hat, and one of the most famous hats of all time was born in 1865 just a few blocks north of 3rd Ward's future location. The history's actually pretty fascinating, so hit the jump now to hear the tale.

The "Boss of the Plains" hat.The story actually begins in New Jersey, where John Batterson Stetson was born in 1830 and grew up working with his father, a local hatter. When he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, however, Stetson was advised to move to a climate that might improve his health. At 24 he headed west and ended up panning for gold in Colorado. While he was there he began experimenting with a hat made out of beaver pelts. He incorporated a tall crown that allowed room for a buffer of air to keep his head warm (and was also handy for hauling water) and a wide brim for extra protection from the elements. As the tale goes, he decided to start manufacturing his hat after a mule driver bought it right off his head for a five-dollar gold piece.

Buffalo Bill Cody.Stetson headed back east to Philadelphia, using the little money that he had to rent a room and set to work as the sole employee of the John B. Stetson Company. He named his first hat "Boss of the Plains" and marketed it to the western settlers that he had encountered. Bearing the "Stetson" stamp in 14-karat gold leaf on the inside hatband, these hats were an immediate hit. By 1886 Stetson was the largest hat manufacturer in the world, and when he died in 1906, his factory was producing around 2 million hats a year.

Those who donned Stetsons included Buffalo Bill Cody, Calamity Jane, Will Rogers and Annie Oakley, and it's even said that George Custer wore a Stetson during the Battle of Little Big Horn. Ever since, the "Bostt of the Plains" has become an iconic symbol of the American West and the cowboy. Stetson also produced many other models, though, from top hats and bowlers to derbys and straw hats.

Stetson's Philadelphia factory kept running strong until after World War II, when regular hat-wearing began to decline. In 1971 the factory closed down and began licensing its hats with other manufacturers, and in 1980 the Stetson clock tower, the last remnant of the once booming operation, burned down.

-- John Ruscher