Orpheum Theatre

The Orpheum Theatre was mentioned in the 1923 edition of the Westville Hugh School Janus Yearbook. An even earlier mention was in the November 15, 1912 issue of The Player in a list of “Houses which book independently” which says “Westville, Orpheum; Mike Gerrib.” The surname connects the Orpheum to a mention of Westville’s Eagle Theatre in the February 18, 1928 issue of Exhibitors Herald which notes that it was being operated by a Walter Gerrib.

Despite the 1912 mention, the Orpheum is not one of the three theaters listed at Westville in the 1914-1915 AMPD. The Eagle is listed, but the other two were the Union and a house called The Ark Theatre at 5 S. State Street. On the 1915 Sanborn map of Westville, 5 S. State is a vacant store, but there is a building at 12 S. State labeled “Motion Pictures” immediately north of an alley that used to run west from State Street just midway between Main Street and South Street, so just where Apple Maps puts the pin icon for modern 102 S. State. I’m thinking this must have been the Orpheum, possibly with the aka Union in 1914. The site was a vacant lot on the 1909 Sanborn.

The site of the second theater on the 1915 map was also a vacant lot in 1909. That one, then 23 N. State, on the east side of State a bit less than halfway north from Main to Short Street, was probably the Eagle/State. Interestingly, the 1909 map shows two storefronts labeled as Electric Theatres, one across and a bit north from the Eagle, and one on the northwest corner of State and Main.