Ironton Sililoquy

Story of Yesterday

February 26, 1966

Written by Charles Collett

Submitted by: Robert Kingrey

The welcome surprise visitor at our home yesterday was Howar E. Unrue, with a package of heirlooms from the relic collection of his father, John Unrue who was stage manager of the old Masonic Opera House from the time of its first destruction by fire in 1888 until the second fire in 1915. We have known Howard sine the gay 90’s when he and I took part on the stage, dressed in sailor uniforms, which our mothers made for the performance of "Chimes of Normandy", staged by local talent for benefit of the Charles S. Gray Deaconess Hospital.

The real treasure of the collection is the printed program advertising for the stage hit of March 5, 1883, which was the favorite Southern Beauty Lillian Billings in "Only a Farmer’s Daughter". The star was announced on Broadway as the "handsomest woman in the world".

The interesting part of the 83-year old program, printed at the shop of the Ironton Busy Bee (a weekly newspaper), is its comparison to today’s television programs. In addition to all the local advertising, the program devoted about half its space to the announcements of what was coming next with reviews from the New York newspapers about what the critics had to say. One of the attractive local ads was Schachleiters, which read, "All the delicacies and luxuries served after the performance just across the street opposite the opera house".

Another of the collection of souvenirs is the printed program of the eleventh annual commencement of Ironton High School, June 20, 1881. Many names appearing on that program will be remembered today by senior readers. The high school principal was Charles F. Dean and the assistant was Jessie A. Johnson. Members of the school board were J.B. Jervis, B.F. Ellsberry, John Charlton, Fred Cronacher, Jere Davidson and John B. Hastings. Among the graduates was Ezra Dean, who becomes judge of the Common Pleas Court. His oration was "Brick by Brick", the highest walls are raised.

Without repeating, we hope to find several more subjects to type about from the Unrue collection.

As we have mentioned several times before, it is our friends who make the column possible and Mr. Unrue is one of them. Although he says, " I don’t want my name used", we can’t refrain from mentioning that he has spread the name of Ironton from coast to coast and in Canada while traveling and visiting lodges as the highest officer in the United Commercial Travelers and Masonic orders.

When you read future paragraphs about entertainments at the old opera house, readers will know to whom we owe the thanks for loan of the original story, which we hope someday will be displayed in the Ironton-Lawrence County Museum.