The Archie Edwards Blues Heritage is dedicated to preserving the memory of bluesman Archie Edwards and keeping the tradition of acoustic blues alive.  For more than four decades, Archie’s barbershop in Northeast Washington, DC, was a gathering place for friends, musicians, and music-lovers. When he passed away in 1998, the barbershop became the headquarters for the newly-formed Foundation, and it remained there until the building was sold for redevelopment 10 years later. 

 

The Foundation (aka “Archie’s Barbershop”) then moved to larger quarters in nearby Riverdale Park, MD.  A portion of the new space was turned into a museum where photographs, memorabilia, and artifacts were displayed.  In 2019, the museum collection was moved to the new site of Archie’s Barbershop in Hyattsville, MD.

 

This Museum/Archives section of this website is still under development.   In the meantime, this gallery contains photographs of selected items from the museum collection. Among them are photographs of the interior and exterior of the original barbershop, a panorama of the museum as it appeared in the Riverdale location, artifacts including Archie’s barber chair, and photographs of some of the blues musicians who frequented the original barbershop.  Of particular interest is the hand-written autobiography that Mississippi John Hurt wrote for his friend, Archie Edwards.