Moore's Opera House
110 S. Fourth Street,
Clarksburg,
WV
26301
110 S. Fourth Street,
Clarksburg,
WV
26301
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Moore’s Opera House was opened in 1911 by Jack Marks, on land donated by Frank Moore, a former mayor of Clarksburg. It was operating as a movie house at least into the early 1950s.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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This photo from 1931, courtesy of Warren, is from the Daily News archive. It was taken during the trial of the 1nfamous Harry Power, when the trial was moved from the Courthouse in Clarksburg to the theater due to the immense crowds wanting to attend the proceedings.
Note the name is “Moore” on the vertical, not “Moore’s”.
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In 1949 Moore’s Opera House was taken over on a lease by Madge Stout, who was already operating the Robinson Grand Theatre for the estate of Claude Robinson. Madge Stout (sometimes appearing in Boxoffice items as Madge Stout Douds, or Madge Douds, her married name) was still operating Moore’s as late as 1957, as mentioned in the December 7 issue of Boxoffice- which means the theater was probably still open for at least part of 1958.
When Ralph Douds, Madge Stout’s husband, died in 1959, the notice in the May 11 issue of Boxoffice referred to Madge only as operator of the Robinson Grand, so it’s likely that Moore’s had been closed by then.
Boxoffice noted that “Colonel” Moore was still the owner of the building in 1949 when Madge Stout signed the new lease on the house. It’s likely that Claude Robinson had been operating Moore’s Opera House since the late 1930s at least. When the Grand burned in 1939, Boxoffice reported that its programs would be shifted to Moore’s until the Grand was rebuilt.