While Boone was the most common place for early film exhibition in Watauga County, motion pictures were exhibited in a few other places before the advent of modern theaters. Blowing Rock, destination for generations of summer tourists, was to become the most important, but a few other small communities hosted shows as well, beginning with a show by Jack Campbell in Sugar Grove in 1908 . . .

Film Exhibition Outside of Boone: 1908

A.J. "Jack" Campbell (1868-1930) is most frequently remembered for his shows at the courthouse in Boone from 1908 to 1923 (see Temporary Theaters 1), but he did occasionally exhibit in smaller venues. For example, Campbell's first show with motion pictures took place not only in Boone, but at the Walnut Grove Institute in Sugar Grove on 21 December 1908:

LOCAL NEWS . . . The Campbell Amusement Co. will exhibit in the court house in Boone next Tuesday night. The exercises will consist of moving pictures, illustrated songs, etc, one of the most enjoyable shows ever exhibited in the mountains. Come one, come all. Admission fee returned to all dissatisfied persons. . . . Come one, come all, and see the greatest animated moving picture shows that has ever been in the mountains, consisting of 3,000 feet of moving scenes, 100 stationary views and illustrated songs, together with [anoth?]er machine and string music and various other subjects too tedious to mention. Fifteen per cent. of admission fees to be donated to school to pay on piano. If not satisfied with performance, money refunded. At Walnut Grove Institute Monday night, Dec. 21, 7, p.m. The Campbell Amusement Co. (Watauga Democrat 12/17/1908, p. 3)

In 1909, the Mountain Amusement Company showed films both in the courthouse and the New River Academy, in Horton (Watauga Democrat 10/21/1909, p. 3). The academy was later torn down in 1910 and repalced by a "neat public school near the old site." (Watauga Democrat 8/17/1910, p. 3)

A brief, though interesting, advertisement from the Moravian Falls Yellow-Jacket (4/18/1912, p. 3) shows how an enterprising person could get into motion picture exhibition and make up to $50 a night (well over a thousand dollars in today's money):

It is doubtful that exhibitors actually made that kind of money in the mountains of North Carolina--or anywhere else for that matter--especially once fees were paid to the local municipality and the travel costs were added. The ad also neglects to mention the actual price of the equipment needed. Nonetheless, Campbell and others were apparently at least moderately successful, as can be seen by the fact that they stayed in the business so long.

Jack Campbell returned in 1912 with a show that played not only the courthouse in Boone, but also Bethel, Valle Crucis, Matney, and Banner Elk (Watauga Democrat 6/6/1912, p. 3). This was the show discussed in the Boone section which purported to show films of the Titanic. No exact locations are given in these places; one assumes that handbills and posters would have pointed those interested to the correct location, most likely a school building. A similar show played the next month at the courthouse, "Watson's school house," Stony Fork, Summit, Idlewild, and Todd (Watauga Democrat 7/11/1912, p. 3). In August, Campbell took the same films to N.L. Mast's store, Forest Grove, Rush Branch, Timbered Ridge, Beach Creek, and Kellersville, all specifically located at school houses in the western part of the county (Watauga Democrat 8/8/1912, p. 3).

By 1913, Campbell appears to be tiring of the road show technique and sells off his old equipment for what he terms a "stationary outfit" (Watauga Democrat 2/13/1913, p. 3). Nonetheless, in both 1913 and 1914 Campbell made trips to Sugar Grove (Watauga Democrat 5/1/1913, p. 2) and Todd, at the Laurel Ford School House (Watauga Democrat 7/23/1914, p. 2). The rest of Campbell's shows, ending in 1923, took place in the Boone courthouse.

The entrance of the United States into World War I saw a couple of bond rallies traveling into the countryside that included motion pictures. The first, in July 1917, was held in Valle Crucis near the Methodist church:

Red Cross Rally A Success.

The Red Cross rally at Valle Crucis on last Saturday night was truly a success in spite of the rain and mud, which kept many away. We often hear it remark[ed] that "Valle Crucis never does things by halves," and beyond question this was verified. Every thing was planned and carried out on a large scale and there was on sale something to satisfy the taste of all. Ice cream, cake, lemonade, hot coffee, sandwiches, dainty home made candies, and flowers were on sale. The grounds--the green between the Methodist church and Bank--had even been wired and lighted by electricity for the occasion and it seemed that every man, woman and child vied with each other to make the evening the most pleasant one ever. Revs. Tompkins and Monroe Baird and Mrs. Chapin made appropriate talks, the other speakers who were expected failing to arrive. The speeches, and singing of patriotic songs ended the exercises out-doors and the crowd repaired to the school building and for some time enjoyed a very good motion picture show. The amount taken in was something above $50.00. (Watauga Democrat 7/19/1917, p. 2)

That December, a "Play and Picture Show" took place in the Beaver Dam School House. The play was entitled, "The Masonic Ring," and the films consisted of "pictures and lectures on the life of Christ, life of Abraham Lincoln, Scenes of Travel and some pictures for the little folks" (Watauga Democrat 12/20/1917, p. 3). Proceeds again went to the Red Cross.

A tantalizing notice from 1924 details the efforts of McKinley Ayers (associated with the American Theatre in Shulls Mills) and Paul Spainhour to operate a motion picture show in the public school in Valle Crucis on Wednesdays and Saturdays (Watauga Democrat 7/10/1924, p. 5). After the initial notice, however, no further mention is made of their efforts. By the end of 1924, the Pastime Theatre in Boone had opened . . .

Blowing Rock

Blowing Rock was home to the first building in Watauga County constructed specifically as a film theater: the Wonderland Theatre (1922) in Mayview. Afterwards, the town catered to film goers with first the Carolina Theatre (1928-1938) and then the Yonahlossee Theatre (1939-1979). As in other places, traveling shows and temporary theaters preceded these permanent theaters. The earliest known reference to film exhibition in Blowing Rock comes from 1913, by an editor who was not a fan of the motion picture business:

BLOWING ROCK BREEZES.

. . . The show given a while ago by so called "Mexican Joe" was well patronized by some of our citizens, who, without the ghost of a protest paid a big price for admission, listening patiently to the jokes and gazing at the dizzy moving pictures for three hours, the meanwhile sitting upon hard boards without backs, their feet either dangling in mid air or touching the cold ground, when for the same price an entertainment was advertised to be given the next night or two in a comfortable building, where, seated upon benches with backs, they could have been entertained with literary gems sparkling with wit or dewy with pathos, but though Prof. Henry V. Maxwell of Butler, Tenn., according to contract was on hand at the time and place advertised and waited until 9:30 o'clock, not a soul went out to hear him . . . (Watauga Democrat 7/17/1913, p. 2)

This was obviously an early tent show with film and live performances mixed in. That wit and pathos were not packing them in, although still considered important, can be seen from notices the following year when W.W. Stringfellow, owner of the Chetola estate, proposes a weekly motion picture show in the old bank building downtown. He promised the pictures would be "Religious, Educational and humorous and all semblance of the sensational and degrading pictures will be avoided" (Lenoir News 4/28/1914, p. 1). Stringfellow presented lectures of his extensive travels abroad to locals and promised to exhibit slides in a later lecture. No further notices about motion picture exhibition can be found from 1914, however.

After this, there was one busy summer in 1915 at the Hayes General Store on Main Street. Henry Carodeen Hayes (1885-1951) opened his store in November 1908 (Watauga Democrat 11/26/1908, p. 3) and was one of the first persons to bring electric lights to the town. In 1915, Hayes used a huge 8-horse power gasoline engine weighing 3,490 pounds to generate electric light for both his house and his store on Main Street (Watauga Democrat 4/9/1915, p. 2). The same article also added that "The moving picture machine is soon to be installed in the old Hayes store next to the reading room." Regular shows began later that spring (Watauga Democrat 5/27/1915, p. 2):

BLOWING ROCK BREEZES

. . . Mr. H.C. Hayes gave, week before last, a free moving picture show, but since then has charged a small admission fee. The show nights are Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and if the pictures illustrating the stories upon the canvas are never of the blood-curdling, fire and brimstone kind your correspondent hopes that the public will patronize the venture, but if not, then--well, no matter what. However, no fear of anything "naughty" being shown as Mr. Hayes affirms that all pictures shown will be of the "highest grade and best possible." The venture so far has been a success.

Later in June, as summer residents began to arrive, the same columnist noted that the "Hayes' movies are also drawing each night a good crowd, and judging from their smiling faces as they come out of Movie Hall have been well paid for their money . . ." (Watauga Democrat 6/03/1915, p. 2). By July, town moralizers were already worrying about the influence of motion pictures in town, with entertainment rumored to be of the "cut-throat, blood-curdling kind which though bad enough in books is worse, because more real, on canvas." (Watauga Democrat 7/15/1915, p. 2)

Another mention of the "Movie Hall" occurs in a contemporary brochure from c1915 that details the attractions of Blowing Rock: "A number of well stocked merchandise stores, two drug stores, a reading room, the inevitable moving picture hall, and many pretty homes, peeking from behind vine-covered porches, give the visitor a satisfying and lasting impression." . . . [travel brochure, c1915; emphasis added]

A couple of photos of the brochure follow [author's personal collection]:

Hayden Pitts (1924-1999) recalled the Hayes' store and film exhibition in a 1991 interview: "Mr. Hayes also had the first movie projector in town. He first showed movies in the building next to where Charlie Travis' shop is now. They were old silent movies and sometimes the film would be up-side-down, so he had to stop and rewind it. That was about 1926. . . ." (Bud Altmayer, As I Recall Old Blowing Rock: Interviews with 46 Old Timers, Johnston City, TN: The Overmountain Press, 1991, p. 194).

Since the original Hayes Store burned down in the great fire of 1923 that destroyed much of the eastern half of Main Street, Pitts' guess of 1926 is either too late or refers to shows that happened in a later store owned by Hayes. Pitts' memories of the Carolina Theatre, built in 1928 by his father Everett Greeley Pitts (1886-1949), were much clearer.

By the mid 1920s, permanent film exhibition had been established in both Blowing Rock and Boone. Blowing Rock had three theaters with roots in this period: the Wonderland (1922-1928), the Carolina (1928-1938), and finally the Yonahlossee Theatre (1939-1979). Schools, churches, and other places would still run an occasional movie for education or charity, but the days of the travelling exhibitors were over.

Dr. Gary R. Boye

Music Librarian and Professor

Appalachian State University

boyegr@appstate.edu