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 Mineola Opera Houses Posted by:  TeamBPL
N 32° 39.828 W 095° 29.359
15S E 266549 N 3616754
This Texas Historical Marker, erected in 2008, is located at 105 North Johnson Street between Broad and Kilpatrick Streets near downtown Mineola
Waymark Code: WMNFJA
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/06/2015
Views: 7
According to the Mineola State Historic Sites web page ( link), the "opera house era lasted from 1887 to World War I and was an important social and entertainment part of our history. Mineola had two opera houses, one owned by Bill McDonald on Front Street and the other on N. Johnson St., which was owned by Julius Caspary."
Marker Number: 14431
Marker Text:
The Opera House Era in Mineola lasted from the 1870s until the 1910s and was an important period in the city’s social history. Rail connections to bigger cities brought many famous artists here. In 1877, William J. McDonald opened McDonald Hall, and the Johnson String Band of Marshall provided music for a grand ball that was the venue’s debut. Julius Caspary later opened an opera house near the Mineola State Bank. Renowned actors Louis James, Helena Modjeska and Frederick Warde and musician “Blind Tom” Wiggins performed here. During the Vaudeville Era, opera houses offered operettas, soliloquies, tableau, recitations and comedic acts. The advent of movie theaters signaled the end for opera houses, the foundation of the arts in Mineola.
Marker is Property of the State of Texas (2008)
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