THE WAY IT WAS…
…At The Opera House
by Al Eicher

Many towns and villages in Michigan as early as the 1870s had an "Opera House". As you travel around our area, you will see that some of these stately buildings are still standing. Recently, in doing research on Mark Twain's visits to our state, I took note of the opera houses where he lectured and thought it might be interesting to address the locations of opera houses in the Thumb region and how they were used. They were not used to satisfy the definition in the Webster Dictionary: "A theatre devoted chiefly to operas."

Since my son, David, and I had produced video histories on 19 towns in Michigan, most of which were in the southeastern part of the state, some of the information was readily available. So let's take a look at the early built cultural centers used by pioneers starting with the 1870s.

In the spring of 1879 at Lapeer, the "White Opera House" was the center of attraction when Susan B. Anthony came to town. She was an advocate for personal rights. Newspaper reports indicate she spoke to a packed house. William Jennings Bryan also came to town on his political campaign nearly 20 years later. The opera house was decorated with banners, and the opera house interior was photographed for the event. The Lapeer area residents of his persuasion came out for the event and made a good showing.

The Lapeer Opera House was in the White Building, and in late 1879 this brick building was dismantled brick by brick and moved to the business district at Court and Nepessing Streets. The construction of the original building cost $60,000. The cost for moving in 1879 was $30,000.

It is interesting to note that in 1879 at Vassar, an opera house was being built by the Miller Brothers, R.W. and Frank. The structure was located at Main and Huron Streets and would be one of the largest brick buildings in town. The Miller brothers wanted the interior to be special, and so a dome ceiling was built featuring scenes of cherubs and angels. The performance hall held 700 people. William Jennings Bryan also came to Vassar and used the opera house for his speaking engagement in 1896. Actress, Maria Dressler performed on the stage of the opera house as well, in one of her famed "one night" shows. Just west of the opera house was the Jewell Hotel, built in 1875. An elevated walkway was built between the opera house and the Jewell Hotel so performers could get from one building to another and avoid the crowds, especially if the performance wasn't up to snuff.

In 1890 Edwin Wallace, who was a former stagecoach driver, decided the town needed an opera house in Saline, Michigan. Actual he built a series of buildings to form the "Wallace Block". The complete structure was of brick construction and contained the Opera House, Fire Hall and Municipal offices. The opera house was used for a variety of shows coming to town, plus it was a center for social events, dances and school plays. There was a large fire bell on the roof, which probably interrupted a few performances over the years.

At Sebewaing, in the early 1890s, the folks there had a place called "Arbeiter Hall" located on Beck Street. The organization who formed this social center built it as a Town Hall for the German descendants of the community. The hall had a stage to serve the community playhouse group, a large dance floor, dining area and a beergarten, as they had applied for a liquor license in 1892. German bands played on this stage for many dances. High school plays and concerts drew large crowds, and in the 1950s I remember attending some rather large wedding parties, and so, this early cultural center was used for many purposes for years.

The opera house at Oxford was constructed in 1892 and featured a horseshoe balcony and byzantine style dome. The dome ceiling was 40 feet high. The building, when completed, measured 60 feet long and 40 feet wide. It put Oxford on the map with its "Golden Age" road shows and plays, presented on the stage. For those interested, "the Lecture Course Series" added to their cultural experience. The opera house hosted many banquets and social events providing much fun and excitement.

At Sand Beach, which today we know as Harbor Beach, a village election was held in 1890 to vote on the construction of a Town Hall. The Jenks Salt Reserve property was the proposed location, which was just north of the present day Community House location. The vote passed and the Town Hall was built for $9,825. The opera house was on the second floor, which included a stage with 12 stage settings (back drops) and prop storage. Thirteen gas lights were used as footlights plus gas lights on the side walls. A large chandelier graced the ceiling of this theater and ballroom combination. The first floor had in one area the Hook and Ladder Company, fire engine, hose cart and related equipment. At the rear of the first floor were the village offices, council room, a jail with two cells and the village library. The third floor was dedicated to the Masonic Temple Order.

The first performance at the opera house was a magic show held on November 26th, 1891. Ten years later the building was destroyed by fire. In 1920, a new Community House was built which featured a silent movie theater. The auditorium could seat 500 people and this now became the social and cultural center. Six years later half of the Community House was destroyed by fire. A year later it was rebuilt and made bigger. Today this Community House with its murals is truly an example of preservation and a structure of distinction.

At Cass City in 1898, the J.L. Hitchcock building was built to be a multi-purpose building. On the lower floor Mr. Hitchcock had a dry goods store. The second and third floors became the famous opera house. The ceiling of the auditorium on the second floor had some unique embossed designs. A large chandelier displayed a warmth of elegance in this 80 by 33 foot auditorium. The balconies on the third floor offered seating on two sides of the auditorium. There were dressing rooms, galleries and a 20 by 20 foot raised stage in the auditorium. This opera house, for many years, became the center for public entertainment and was often used for graduation ceremonies. The auditorium, in recent years, has been going through restoration, which has been a work in progress showing real workmanship.

In the early 1900s at Pigeon, The Diebel Building, which was the first building in town made of cement block, had an opera house on the second floor. There was a wide stairway going up to the social center. Village and state elections were held in the auditorium as well as plays and school graduations. A large curtain the width of the stage displayed the names of businesses establishments in Pigeon. This stage curtain has been preserved and is a featured display at the Leipprandt Orchards and Gift Shop on Filion Road.

The Bad Axe Opera House on Sand Beach Road was near the Hubbard Bank in 1910. Many community events were held there and plays were presented on the stage including minstrel shows. By 1916, silent movie-goers filled the auditorium as they listened to the music of the piano player. The three-story brick building today is the Bad Axe Theatre.

In 1910 at Caseville on the main street, there was "The Buckeye Hall". The upper floor was used for plays, social events, dances and lodge meetings. The lower floor was Adams Grocery Store owned by Addie and Wilbur. Every town needed a place to get together for a cultural experience, a dance, a wedding reception, the high school graduation class or a spelling bee. Whether called "The Opera House" or "the Community Hall", it was the place to socialize and That's The Way It Was!

Al and Dave Eicher provide television production services to corporations, ad agencies and nonprofit organizations. They also create Michigan town histories and offer lecture services on a variety of Michigan History Events. You may contact them at 248-333-2010; E-mail: info@program-source.com; Web site: www.program-source.com; Address: PSI, P.O. Box 444, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303.