Our Past Is Present August 28, 2018

August 28, 2018

            This is “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.

            You may remember that last Tuesday, we began sharing with you some of the events which took place in 1894 at the Opera House.  The Opera House was originally opened in 1892, however, for the next six years, or before the fire of 1898, there were a variety of programs offered.  Last week we shared that some of those were boxing matches; musical performances by what appeared to be local talent; acrobats; comedians; a Republican Congressional District meeting and a high school graduation exercise. 

            In 1895, the manager of the Opera House was T.W. Dorn.  During that year, he was elected as Secretary of the Kansas Opera House Managers. In June of that year there was a “Ladies Minstrel Show.”  The show included local ladies who performed a variety of acts.  We have discovered that one of the ladies who performed regularly at Opera House was J. Abbie Clarke.  In the “Ladies Minstrel Show,” she was the director of the orchestra. 

            During the next year, in 1896, there was what appeared to be the beginning of lectures about travels to various parts of the world.  One of those was presented that year by Professor L.L. Dyche on the topic of the Arctic Regions.

            As we work through these programs for you about the Opera House in Junction City on “Our Past Is Present”, we have found and you will discover that even as now, the building was and is still used for a variety of programs and events.  So… keep reading and see why we say “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.