D.O.H. Hall

Not much can be found about the hall but thankfully, it was mentioned several times throughout the book “Attached to Sweetness: Chronicals of Sugar City Past to Present” that was published around 1980 which I credit and thank for the below information.

“Mrs. Tomstock ran a movie house in the D.O.H. Hall. Mrs. Lucille Scharton was the pianist for the silent movies around 1913. Usually a movie was shown in a series so there would be a "full house” every night. The pianist usually knew enough about the movie to enable her to play very well in the dark, creating all the sound effects needed. Mr. Bryan Barnes bought Mrs. Tomstock’s movie business and the new Columbine Theater was built."

Here is an article entitled “Razing of a Sugar City Landmark Ends an Era” that was written by Ray Farr in 1954 and submitted to the Ordway New Era by Mrs. J.E. Crockett that contains abwealth of historic information about the hall:

“If they gave medals for distinguished community service to buildings, the tattered old "Firemen’s Hall” in Sugar City would be in line for the biggest-with oak leaf clusters. One of the first buildings in Sugar City, the old veteran served first as a grocery store “Burris and Hedges, Fancy Groceries, Fruits and Vegetables”. It also housed a telephone exchange. Later the building was remodeled. A stage and dressing rooms were built at the rear and a box office at the side. A fine hardwood floor was put in for dancing and the D.O.H. Hall came into its heyday.

The D.O.H. Hall for may years was the cultural center of the community. Road shows, medicine shows, evangelistic meetings, bazaars, local talent minstrel shows, dances, brawls and roller skating, everything of an entertainment nature was held at the D.O.H. Hall. One time the great humorist, Opie Read, lectured at the D.O.H. Hall, his subject, “The United States of Europe?”

Then a new fad called the “moving pictures” crowded in and the D.O.H. Hall housed the local “Cinema Place”, L.S. Fields, proprietor. For years the small fry assiduously ruined their eyes from the front row staring at the flickering images of our early Hayworths and Gables. A piano played by a local belle furnished the background music. She’d tinkle the keys softly during the love scenes and wham the daylighting out of them during the inevitable chase.

But time brought its changes and a new theatre (the Columbine Theatre) was built and the new D.O.H. Hall fell on evil days. A garage was established in the old hall. The beautiful hardwood floor was battered and scarred by tools and machinery. The stage was ripped out and the place was foul with fumes of gas and oil for many years. The Volunteer Firemen of Sugar City bought the old building and for several years she regained some of her dignity, if not her former glory. Dances and roller skating again filled the hall with laughter and music. But not for long. She is old and her timbers are weak. The firemen decided she was not safe and passed the judgement of demolition on the old-timer. Today she is being slowly resolved into her component parts. Her windows are vacant orbs and soon she will be but a memory.

Few people could tell you what the letters D.O.H. stood for. The Deutsch Order of Hamagari had their club rooms upstairs over the hall and owned and managed the building. Naturally the D.O.H. was accepted as the official designation.“ (end of article)

“The D.O.H. Hall was owned by the Volunteer Firemen in the 1940’s and 1950’s. the young people of the city enjoyed many hours of roller skating at "Firemen’s Hall. Various clubs and organizations often rented the hall for dances and social gatherings plus the annual "Firemen’s Ball” held in this fine building until it was razed in 1953 "

Sugar City was a boom town built around the Colorado National Sugar Manufacturing Company. It has experienced several dramatic highs and lows over the years in both population and economy. Sadly, it’s in a low now that it will doubtfully recover from; the beet sugar factory (the towns main employer) closed in 1967 (demolished in 1977) and all in all, there is virtually no new growth but only an elderly population that keeps dwindling yearly.

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