History
Dirty Billy has been a Civil War Militaria collector and reenactor since he attended the Antietam Centennial in 1962. In 1981, he began selling his museum quality headwear to the public. Many of his reproductions are made using original blocks, and all are the result of his close study of original artifacts and period photographs.
Specialties
Although Civil War period headgear is his biggest seller, he can reproduce hats ranging from the 1600s through to the Modern era. Dirty Billy has made hats for actors including Sam Elliot and Martin Sheen in Gettysburg, Patrick Swayze in North and South, and Tom Berenger in the Rough Riders. Other movies include Tombstone, Son of the Morning Star, and Gods and Generals. We have also made headwear for the AMC series Hell on Wheels and BBC America's Copper. In addition to historical headwear, our shop carries a full line of modern headwear for men, women, and children.