Cater Theatre

Built in 1901 by Dr. W.A. Cater, the second-floor Cater’s Opera House hosted Giffen’s Orchestra Entertainers at its February 21, 1902 first advertised event. The building also had space for two ground floor retailers. The Cater Opera House would host vaudeville acts, school graduations, athletic events, and more. Cater’s was also where a young Walt Disney first saw motion pictures and a live stage performance of Peter Pan.

On September 11, 1907, the venue was changed to the Cater Theatre and began to get pressure from the Electric turned Bijou Theatre and the Crystal Theatre - both early nickelodeons. So the Cater Theatre began mixing in more movies in 1910 as small town opera houses struggled especially during World War I across the nation. Further pressure came in the form of a competing theatre, the Ripley Theatre in 1916 and - in 1921 - the Snappy Theatre.

Competing theater operator A.B. Cantwell - who bought the Snappy Theater and changed its name to the Cantwell Theatre - then bought the Cater Theatre in January of 1924. He reduced seat count to 400. The purchase was wise as the Cantwell Theater was challenging to get good sound so was razed for a new theatre in late-1929. The Cantwell Theatre bookings were moved to the Cater Theatre in its last days showing movies regularly.

Not equipped for sound, the Cater Theatre drifted to sporadic community events, mostly dances and speeches. In June of 1933, the stage and balcony and seats was torn out in order to enlarge the dance floor. But fire destroyed the building on January 26, 1957. That fire took out a number of businesses including the two in the Opera House Block and many others in the neighboring spots.

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