Did every small Southern town feel the need for an opera house?
Several months ago, one of Roots and Recall’s volunteers uncovered a newspaper article discussing how brick from the Holler – Adams brickyard, on the banks of the
Catawba River, were being shipped some thirty miles to Chester, S.C. Of specific interest was the idea that there was a formal partnership between two well known contractors; A. D. Holler and G. W. Adams. Prior to this newspaper article there was no evidence of the two working together. Their delivery of brick was for use in constructing, the beautiful new Chester Opera House. Chester County itself had a strong history of antebellum brick production, so why were brick being made such a distance away, when perfectly good sources of clay were bountiful in Chester itself? The S.C. Artisans Database recorded that as early as 1850, the firm of McDonald and Houser, were successfully manufacturing 400,000 brick annually in Chester. This made it a major source of brick in antebellum upcountry, S.C.
But the more interesting question, besides brick manufacturing and business partnerships is why did every small town in the South think they needed an Opera House? Were these meeting houses a point of pride for each community? Were they a central gathering spot for community political events? Did individuals patronize them as 21st century citizens do movies? We think think the answer to each is a resounding yes – to all counts. Some opera houses were built above bank buildings, others above livery stables, and yet others like Chester’s served multipurpose municipal functions. But few in the region were as nicely constructed as Chester’s, built by Rock Hill general contractor W. G. Adams with brick from his kilns on the edge of the Catawba River. In 2017 the building remains in beautiful condition and is a major focal point on Chester’s hill.
It is interesting that the new kid on the block, the City of Rock Hill, didn’t have much of an opera house, it appears to have been more of a barn setting which accommodated semi-professional entertainment events and local talents. This really is not suprizing in that Rock Hill was looking to do far more with business and educational development – attracting Winthrop College to locate in the city and spur the development of hydroelectricity across the South. But the crown in the jewel of course remains the Newberry Opera House, one of the best known in the country.
Unfortunately, little is known about most of these social halls, they are often marked on Sanborn Insurance maps and occasionally a flyer might be found but relatively little material culture has survived related to these establishments. If you know of collections dealing with turn of the century opera houses please inform us at info@rootsandrecall.com
Opera Houses to review: (Open the history thread “right” for added information.)
Roots and Recall welcomes any additional information and links to data on opera houses!
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From the Porch – Blog @ RootsandRecall.com – 1.26.17