Betty Howard Coal Miners' Memorial Theatre

Benham, Kentucky, was founded by Wisconsin Steel of Chicago, a subsidiary of International Harvester, in 1912. But its modern commercial district was built just after World War I and before grinding to a halt at the onset of the Depression. The Benham Theatre “#2” was one of its most substantive buildings during this growth spurt. Wisconsin Steel hired Abertthaw Construction Co. of Atlanta to build a multipurpose building housing a retail store, office space and a film theatre for some $300,000 - almost unimaginable in a working camp of its size. It was certainly a calling card to folks who could be lured to any number of coal camps - some of which were within walking distance.

This was coal country. Not only was the town interconnected through an underground coal-fired steam heating system but the coal mined there went to the South Chicago steelworks factory. Workers were compensated with company scrip, which kept spending within the company town - important with U.S. Steel creating Lynch just 1.5 miles away and the more established Cumberland 2.0 miles away forming the Tri-Cities. The original frame Benham Theatre was a silent-era house. The new and massively improved venue opened April 27, 1923 and was a success as the town grew quickly. The theatre provided good escape and the scrip was likely felt as “well spent.”

As an unincorporated company camp in the 1920’s, it is estimated that Benham grew from 700 to almost 4,000 residents making theatrical operations viable. But at the onset of the Depression, that growth had ended and both the town the theatre struggled as workers fled. The Benham Theatre reflected this austerity as well as any other entity, itself, not able to convert to sound until 1931 - well behind the national trend. In that Depression-era cycle, workers' hard-earned scrip was going for out of date silent films. But contemporary talkies were installed as manager N.H. Salyer added RCA Photophone sound on May 9, 1931 with Bebe Daniels in “My Past".

J.E. Isaac of Cumberland Amusement and the Novo Theatre took on the venue in August of 1940 equipping it with Simple projection and Western Electric sound. The Benham Theatre was still advertising in 1954 with cowboy star Tim Holt making a live appearance on April 17, 1954. It is believed that the theatre went out of business that year. In 1958, it was converted to the Benham Youth Center playing rock and roll live and through its jukebox.

In 1977, a plan to resurrect the empty venue saved it. It became a tribute to those who created it and served in the town as the Coal Miners Memorial Theatre. The name was changed to the Betty Howard Coal Miners' Memorial Theatre to recognize her work in saving the venue.

Recent comments (view all 1 comments)

Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.