Princess Theatre
106 S. Adams Street,
Lewistown,
IL
61542
106 S. Adams Street,
Lewistown,
IL
61542
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The Lewistown Opera House was opened on October 1, 1917. It 1919 it went over to screening movies and was renamed Princess Theatre. It was closed in the 1950’s.
The building was converted into the Ratcliff Apartments building, but by 2013 appreared to be vacant. It still stood partly vacant in 2023.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 1 comments)
Another completely blank entry which probably should remain as such. I’m guessing that this was the Lewistown Opera House based on the trade press and local newspapers. J.F. Knock created the short-lived Knock Theatre - possibly here - opening October 1, 1917. The Lee Family - Ralph and John - took over the Opera House (and likely the Knock) which definitely became the Princess Theatre in 1919 showing silent films.
Ralph passed away and John appears to have left in 1921. D.M. Sheets took on the venue in 1921 continuing as the Princess. Abraham “Abe” P. and Pauline Werbner, operators of the Quincy Princess, then moved to Lewistown in 1927 and continued as Princess Theatre operators here.
Doing well with the Princess, the couple built the larger sized and streamline moderne Werbner Theatre opening in 1940. They decided in the 1950s to reduce to a single theater. They completed 40 years of Lewistown film exhibition - easily the longest tenure in Fulton County - closing in 1967. The former Princess building remained in place in the 2020s.