A Tip of the Hat to the Chief…A fun look at Stephen Mather’s choices in headwear.

By 1929, as Director of the National Parks Service, Stephen Mather was respon-sible for 25 National Parks comprising 7.6 million acres, hosting 2,600,000 visitors a year—and all on a federal operating appropriation of only $2.2 million dollars.  Professionally he had to wear many hats; sartorially he did so as well!

At the Homestead, cosseted in its own case, is Stephen’s top hat. The hat was by The Williams Company, Southern Building, Washington DC, and has the initials STM in the hat lining. Unfortunately, we have no photographs of Stephen in    the top hat, but we do have him with a wide assortment of headwear—from       a flat cap to a mortarboard…a fedora to a tricorne…and more.