According to the Gibson City website, “Jonathan B. Lott, Civil War veteran, in 1869, purchased the town site of Gibson City from Jesse B. Whitehead of Chicago, and in February 1870, the land was surveyed for a mile square. Lott built his home here, and Gibson City had its inception. With the help of influential friends, he succeeded in having the surveys of three railways changed to come through his town, a great task for any one man at any time.” The first railroad through Gibson City was the Gilman. Clinton and Springfield, now operated by the Illinois Central which was built in 1871.
According to Ann Satterthwaite in Local Glories: Opera Houses and Main Street – Where art and Community Meet, “convincing a railroad to plan its route through a town became the linchpin for a town’s success in the eyes of its boosters” and “whether towns were small or large, railroads were essential for the operation of opera houses.”
At the time of the building of the Burwell Opera House, the railroads running thru Gibson City were the Chicago and Springfield (former Gilman, Clinton and Springfield), The Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific (former Chicago and Paducah Railroad), and the Lake Erie and Western Railroad (former LaFayette, Muncie and Bloomington Railroad) (Wikipedia Link)
Not only did these railroads bring people and goods into town, but they also brought traveling troupes, and this is what allowed the opera houses to thrive. The later part of the 19th century had many traveling entertainers. There were over 500 traveling troupes performing Uncle Tom’s Cabin alone. But there were more than just actors. There were magicians, hypnotists, lecturers, and comedians.
In fact, opera houses very rarely had operas performed in them. The term ‘opera house’ was thought to be more respectable than the art form of ‘theater’. The use of the term ‘opera house’ seemed to elevate it and overcome some objections from those who found theater ‘morally objectionable’.
According to Ann Satterthwaite, “there were tectonic changes occurring in the second half of the nineteenth century as the United States healed from the fractures and fictions of the Civil War and matured into an urbanized and industrial powerhouse. Some of
these changes and inventions had direct benefits for opera houses and the entertainment industry. Electricity improved the lighting in theaters and reduced the incidents of fire from gaslights, a bane of older opera houses. For opera house managers, theater companies, and performers, telegraph and telephone immensely improved communications and logistics. But the railroad remained a prime agent for the development and functioning of opera houses as well as for opera house towns."
Its importance to opera houses is evident in Julius Cahn’s Theatrical Directories, the essential handbook for information on opera houses and theaters from 1896 to 1910, which listed its entries by rail lines, the towns they served, and each town’s theater and hotel facilities.”
The railroad had a large influence on the talent that came to these small towns across the United States. Burwell Opera Hall shows up in the 1903-4 version of Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide. As you can see from the entry, J. Young Shamel was the Opera House manager at the time. The Guide shows the dimensions of the stage and the lighting available. It shows that the Burwell Opera House could hold up to 500 people. It also provides the traveling company with the names of the local doctor, lawyer, hotels and newspapers.
The railroads traveling to Gibson City back in the late 1800s and early 1900s allowed for the residents of Gibson to have exposure to entertainment, theater, and lectures, that they would otherwise only get to read about in the newspapers.
For example, on December 22, 1883, the Burwell Opera House opened its doors for the first professional performance to be held on its stage. The Hidden Hand was presented by Frank Harvey’s Hidden Hand Company; supported by the comedienne, Hattie Irving. The play was described as “an entirely new dramatization of Mrs. Southworth’s New York Ledger story, and a greatest Southern drama”. A newspaper article from the December 21, 1883 Gibson City Courier called the show “An electric and positive success! A play written to make people laugh! A ray of sparkling sunshine!” Admission to the event was 50 cents and there was no extra charge for reserved seating. Tickets were on sale at Ragsdale & Baughman’s Drug Store.
From what I can gather from internet searches, Hattie Irving was an actress and comedienne from Ohio. She had a sister named Nellie and sometimes the two performed together.
Can you imagine the excitement and joy felt by the residents of Gibson City as they attended this play in the brand new Burwell Opera House? They probably felt they were becoming comparable in sophistication to the towns of Bloomington and Champaign and maybe even Chicago. What great foresight Jonathan B Lott had when drawing these railroads to his small town on the prairie.
In the next blog, we will be talking about some more of the events held at the Burwell Opera House.
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