Gem Theatre

O.W. Caron and Fred D. Pierce launched the Gem Theatre as a 200-seat movie house in downtown Barton. It was a transformation of the existing Barton house. They opened February 21, 1914 with Motiograph projectors and Mrs. Pillsbury playing the piano with the film, “The Battle of Fort Laramie” among the attractions for the evening.

The theatre was remodeled expanding to 350 seats and then Caron and Pierce installed sound in January of 1930. The talkies got a full house for “Glorifying the American Girl”. The Gem Theatre closed on December 8, 1936 with Ralph Bellamy in “Wild Brian Kent”.

Pierce and Caron then moved their films to the Memorial Auditorium changing its name to the Memorial Theatre at a relaunch on December 11, 1936 with “Can This be Dixie?” The Gem Theatre building sat vacant until being torn down in 1937 for a Shell Gas Station that became an auto repair facility in use into the 2010’s.

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