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Longtime Jacksonville Barber Shop faces eviction by Masons Ed McBee cuts Jacksonville resident Gary Gilbreth's hair Wednesday afternoon at the Jacksonville Barber Shop. [Mail Tribune / Andy Atkinson] Monday Oct 23, 2017 at 11:00 PM Oct 24, 2017 at 6:55 AM Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Jacksonville barber Ed McBee wants to keep the town’s oldest business operating, but Warren Masonic Lodge, which leases him space for the 136-year-old Jacksonville Barber Shop at the corner of California and Oregon streets, has issued him an eviction notice. “It’s almost like a museum of barbering. People love the windows. The tourists line up here, too. I call them window tappers. They point their fingers and say, ‘Look at that,’ ” said McBee. “The historical heritage of Jacksonville is a pretty important thing for this town. I go all out on that myself.” McBee said the eviction may be related to a sexual harassment complaint he made to lodge officials in 2016. He said a female shop employee was "hit on" by a lodge member, and that the behavior was unacceptable. “There's no proof of that, but if you are looking for cause and effect, it sure seems like it all ties in,” said McBee. The lodge member discussed terms of the lease, the employee told McBee. McBee said he would have preferred to talk the issue out with lodge representatives, but he has retained Medford lawyer Jeffrey Foxx to fight the eviction after the organization had a lawyer send him a notice calling for him to leave by Oct. 31. A 2012 lease that McBee signed was never consummated because the lodge never signed it, lodge representatives told McBee. The lodge said it couldn’t find the lease and asked to see his copy, which had only his signature. The 2012 lease was for five years and had provisions for renewal for another five years. New lease terms were negotiated in July, but McBee never heard anything more until he received the eviction notice. McBee said he agreed to a 40-percent increase in rent for the next five years after receiving what he regarded as a “bargain rent” for a number of years. “They have refused to talk to me,” said McBee, who was directed to contact Ashland lawyer Jack Davis. “We are going to be here after the 31st, because we are contesting the eviction.” An individual who was a lodge officer in 2012 has written a letter asserting that a lease was signed by both parties in that year, said McBee. He assumed he was operating under a lease although he never got a fully signed copy. During lease negotiations, McBee claimed, a death threat was made to him by a lodge member. Jacksonville police investigated the threat, but witnesses did not corroborate the story. Subsequently a lodge member walked by the shop and pointed his finger at McBee as if it were a pistol, the barber said. Steve Lawrence, master of the lodge, said the organization will not comment on the situation. The barbershop goes back at least 136 years, said McBee. The building was constructed in 1874, and the barbershop was in the building by 1881. At one point in the 20th century, it moved down the street and the town’s post office was in the space. But about 1960 the barbershop returned to the location. McBee bought the business in 2002. McBee and Nikki DeLaCruz, who works in the shop, had talked about the future of the business. “I had dreams of taking over when he retired. I have kids who want to be barbers,” said DeLaCruz. “We want to keep this a barbershop for a long time. Folks will say, ‘The last time I was here I was 12 years old.’ It has been here for generations.” Local residents have voiced support for keeping the shop at the location. “It’s a shame to see it go away,” said resident Bruce Stanbridge, who has been getting his hair cut in the shop since moving to town in 2005. “I’ve seen tourists taking pictures. It fits into the decor of the street. It’s a classic barbershop; the cabinets, the sinks, it’s just classic.” Stanbridge said it is sad that a fraternal order such as the Masons, which he thinks should stand for community strength, involvement and commitment, would not understand what the Jacksonville Barber Shop means to the town. The lodge is located upstairs in the building, and other shops lease downstairs storefront space. The order was founded in 1855 before the city was incorporated. It is named for General Joseph Warren, a Mason who was killed in the Revolutionary War battle of Bunker Hill. — Tony Boom is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected].