“You could kiss it, hold it,” said Keith Beutler, an associate professor of history at Missouri Baptist University and the author of “George Washington’s Hair: How Early Americans Remembered the Founders.” “It’s the ultimate communion experience with the ultimate American.”

In the course of his research, Professor Beutler assembled a map of more than 100 institutions across the country — including museums and universities — that claim to have some of the former president’s hair. It was doled out as a form of political patronage and possessing a few strands became a status symbol.

The hair has been woven into rings and other jewelry, and Professor Beutler said it had even been part of dubious science experiments, including one, in 1849, in which the tensile strength of Washington’s hair was studied against hair belonging to African-Americans and Native Americans.

For centuries now, hair that was believed to have come from Washington’s scalp has been discovered in attics and amid family heirlooms. The New York Times reported in 1905 that Mrs. William McGarrett of Harrison, N.J., found strands of hair in a cedar box in her home, along with an affidavit declaring its authenticity and a note saying, “The God-like Washington, died 14th Dec., 1799. All America in tears.” More recently, in 2007, the Topps Company, which makes baseball trading cards and Bazooka bubble gum, issued three “relic” cards that included a strand of Washington’s hair.

The preoccupation is a testament to Washington’s singular place in American history. He was not known for being an ideologue or even necessarily the most quotable figure, Professor Beutler said. But, he added, in some ways, Washington became “this stand-in for all of American history.”

“There’s no one whose hair survives to that extent,” Professor Beutler said. “It’s just surreal how much interest there was.”