National Historic Landmark -- Charles Town, West Virginia -- Jefferson County
The first performance at the "New Opera House," as it was named, was a 1911 comedy staged to raise money to help indigent Confederate veterans. Mrs. Annie Packette raised $50,000 to build the house and hired architect T.A. Mullett, of Washington, D.C., who designed a versatile, 500-seat theater building that quickly became a community landmark. The facility notably provided a stage for readings, circuses, wild west shows, touring minstrel and vaudeville troupes, and occasional boxing, basketball, and sporting events. In 1973, Mr. and Mrs. Augustine Todd donated the property to the Old Opera House Theatre Company, which has renovated the building and returned it to an active performing stage.
External Links
Nomination Form PDFOld Opera House Theatre Company
