The Old Opera House in Newberry, South Carolina. The building was designed in the French Gothic style as both a place of entertainment and as a seat of government for the city. The building, completed in 1881 and dedicated in 1882, became known as "the entertainment center of the Midlands". Touring companies of New York City plays, minstrel and variety shows, famed vocalists and lecturers, magicians and mind readers, novelty acts and boxing exhibitions all were featured there. The first film shown there was Birth of a Nation. Early Edison “Talkies," using a phonograph record for sound, were introduced in the 1920s. Slowly, movies replaced the stage shows. In the 1920s, the Opera House was remodeled as a movie theater. In 1952, after the showing of The Outlaw, the Opera House was closed as a movie theater. Photo by Carol Highsmith, 2017.