Lincoln Theatre
912 Court Avenue,
Chariton,
IA
50049
912 Court Avenue,
Chariton,
IA
50049
No one has favorited this theater yet
Additional Info
Previous Names: Temple Theatre
Nearby Theaters
This theatre was located in the Pythian Temple, a large three-story brick building constructed for the Knights of Pythias sometime between 1899 and 1907. It was a fine structure, with two large oriels, and a facade in light colored brick with stone accents. The ground floor was originally retail, and the Pythians met on the third floor. By July 1909 it was presenting vaudeville.
By July 1909 it was presenting vaudeville. By 1913, a movie theatre had begun operating on the ground floor, and a large stage with scenery had been constructed at the rear. In December 1917 it had been renamed the Lincoln Theatre. Curiously, no listings show a capacity, but this must have been fairly large.
The theatre and building were destroyed by fire in February of 1930. The current structure at this address is an old Woolworth’s building from about 1959.
Contributed by
Seth Gaines
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
The July 3, 1909 issue of The Show World said that vaudevillian Lee J. Kellam would be performing at the Temple Theatre in Chariton, Iowa July 5-10.
The December 1, 1917 issue of Moving Picture World had this item: “Chariton, Ia.—The Grand and Temple theaters are to be consolidated and will be renamed the Lincoln theater. Mrs. Victorin Dewey and Becker and Bowen will have the joint ownership of the theater.”
So were the Grand and the Temple in the same building? The NRHP listing for downtown says that the theater at 108 N Grand was the Grand. I had discounted that, because the 1914-15 directory only lists the Temple. There was a later Strand, and an even later State, which I assumed was there.
By the way, thanks for firming up the dates. Hopefully Ken will update the listing.
I haven’t found anything saying the Grand and Temple were originally in the same building, but there’s nothing saying they weren’t either. I had the impression they were simply rivals that merged, consolidating their business in the better theater’s location.
It might be that the Grand was at 108 Grand, shut down around November, 1917 (perhaps losing a lease) and Mr. Combs' Iris opened in the Grand’s location about the time the Grand’s owners merged their operation with the Temple’s. The news of the merger and of the opening of Mr. Combs' house appeared in the same issue of MPW, December 1, 1917.
As the earliest mention of the Strand I’ve seen is from 1925, there was plenty of time for the Iris to come and go at that location without leaving a ripple. The absence of the Grand from the 1914 directory doesn’t seem a major problem, either. The place might have opened, closed and then reopened more than once during that time. Early theaters often had very short life spans. Plus the directory might simply have missed it.