Learn about the history of the Opera House

From it's beginnings with horse and buggy visitors through the introduction of automobiles, the Opera House was there and easily recognizable by the back of the stage sticking out over the sidewalk. 

A typical winter day in front of the Opera House

Hugh McVey was a specialty vaudeville act known for juggling and manipulative skills. He performed with Indian clubs (a popular juggling prop at the time, resembling bowling pins) and cane manipulation routines.

• He appeared in vaudeville bills in the early 1900s (references from 1902–1905 in publications like the Boston Sunday Globe and New York Clipper).
• Typical billing: “Hugh McVey, adept Indian club juggler” or paired with other acts like singers or early motion pictures.
• Acts like his were common “variety” or “specialty” numbers — visual, skill-based performances that didn’t rely heavily on dialogue, making them suitable for diverse audiences in smaller venues.

He seems to have been a working professional in the vaudeville circuit but not a major headliner (no widespread fame like some stars of the era). His ad in the 1895 Opera House during restoration suggests he likely performed there in the 1920s or 1930s as part of a mixed bill. 

Hugh McVey was active in the early 1900s (mentions appear around 1900–1910s in entertainment trade papers like the New York Clipper). He was a professional specialty performer who toured circuits that included smaller venues.

John E. Flynn was an Irish dialect comedian, a very common genre in American vaudeville. Irish comedians often performed character sketches, monologues, songs, and patter with exaggerated accents, humor based on immigrant life, stereotypes (common at the time), and quick wit.

• Irish comedy acts were extremely popular from the late 1800s through the 1930s, especially in cities and towns with Irish or working-class audiences.
• The exact phrasing “one of the funniest Irish comedians in the business” was typical promotional hype used on posters and in newspapers for many similar acts.
• There are scattered mentions of a John E. Flynn in early 20th-century entertainment contexts, but he doesn’t appear to have been a nationally famous star (unlike, for example, Harrigan & Hart or later radio comedians). He was likely a reliable “feature” or supporting comedian who toured smaller circuits and opera houses.

These kinds of acts were staples at Opera Houses turned into variety theaters — a juggler for visual appeal and an Irish comedian for laughs and relatability. 

Flynn appears to have been a solid working comedian on the vaudeville circuit — not a national superstar, but the kind of reliable act that small-town opera houses like ours would book for a mixed bill.

One of the fist things that was necessary to begin restoration was the removal of the building behind the Opera House which had unfortunately fallen into disrepair. Some of the damage from the 1949 fire is visible. 

The property as purchased and ready for renovations. One side was an upholstery shop and the other was used for antique storage while the stage and seating area upstairs were converted to a haunted house for Halloween.