Locke's Opera House
124 W. Main Street,
La Harpe,
IL
61450
124 W. Main Street,
La Harpe,
IL
61450
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This theatre was in a very tall two story brick building constructed in 1895. This was a fairly simple building, and the distinguishing feature was a very tall and spiky tin pediment, which looked rather like a crown. The stage was at the front of the building, and there was a horse collar shaped balcony.
At some point, movies began to be shown, although maps as late as 1926 simply show it as an opera house. The building was still in nearly original condition during a 1970’s historical survey by the state, but by 1986 it had been replaced by the cheap prefab shed which currently occupies the lot.
The name seems to have been spelled Lock on some maps and theater listings, but photos clearly show the name was spelled with an ‘E’.
Contributed by
Seth Gaines
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
Uploaded a photo.
That’s much better than the one on the Illinois site, and looks contemporaneous.
First, the name of the town is La Harpe named after Jean Baptiste Bénard de La Harpe.
Locke’s Opera House opened at the corner of Main and Depot / Old Depot Street (later A Street) on August 5, 1892 with James L. Gittings in charge. It was the first place that La Harpe residents likely saw motion pictures dating at least back to August 1899. Traveling motion picture companies came in to show moving pictures until the town had a regular theater in 1911. The venue was discontinued in 1925.
La Harpe’s first movie theater was William C. Gardner & Studer’s Silver Cloud Theatre launching June 17, 1909 in the Gardner Building on Depot Street. C.A. Hatcher’s The New Electric Theatre later launched in the Leavitt Building on February 27, 1911 with Celia Zall of Burlington, Iowa furnishing the music.
In June of 1912, that venue was discontinued as C.A. Hatcher moved to Hatcher’s Photoplay Theatre launched August 15, 1911. And from 1911 to 1919, LaHarpe had a downtown Airdome to present live acts and movies in the warmer weather months. Hatcher then renames his operation as Hatcher’s Photoplay theatre in February of 1912.
The Park Theatre opened in the Odd Fellows fraternal hall on June 25, 1919 by Manager William Moon with Dustin Fatrnum in “The Gentleman from Indiana.” Powell and Gittlings took on the venue and moved it here to the Opera House in 1926 with the Towler Brothers' K&T Hatchery leasing the Odd Fellows Building for their hatchery.
The Park Theatre ends up back at the Leavitt Building on September 23, 1926 reopening with “The American Venus.” Remaining silent into 1930, Edgar Churchill took on the venue equipping it with sound and changing names to the Princess Theatre and launching with “Good News” supported by Laurel and Hardy in “Brats” on December 12, 1930.
Merlin Ewing took on the venue on July 26, 1932 offering $10 in gold for another new name. The name was the Amus-U and Charles Ketcham Jr. took home the gold. On July 11, 1935, the Amus-U Theatre was destroyed by fire during a screening of “Our Little Girl” with Shirley Temple. 150 patrons escaped but the theater didn’t.
The theatre was moved to a makeshift location on the Hungate lot in the Southeast corner of the downtown square with a canvas roof and benches beginning August 4, 1935 with “$10 Raise.” The Amus-U reopened on the site of the former location January 8, 1936 of “Stars of Broadway.” The Ames-U survived all the way to May 12, 1958 under final operators Mr. and Mrs. Howard Magin. The final film was Sal Mineo in “Dino.” The property became a bowling alley named the Lucky Strike Bowl.