{"id":3153,"date":"2018-12-29T22:44:18","date_gmt":"2018-12-29T22:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/?p=3153"},"modified":"2019-01-03T18:47:03","modified_gmt":"2019-01-03T18:47:03","slug":"1881-song-and-dance-rock-the-opera-house-at-cairo-illinois","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/?p=3153","title":{"rendered":"1881: Song and Dance Rocked The Opera House at Cairo, Illinois"},"content":{"rendered":"

Twenty-Seventh in a Series<\/em><\/p>\n

By Matt Chaney, for chaneysblog.com<\/p>\n

Posted Saturday, December 29, 2018<\/p>\n

Copyright\u00a0\u00a92018 for original content and historical arrangement by Matthew L. Chaney, Four Walls Publishing<\/p>\n

The Grand Opera House opened at Cairo, Illinois, in 1881, a spectacular showplace amidst riverine marsh. Fay Templeton headlined on opening night, teen singer and dancer, starring in the comic opera \u201cLes Mascotte.\u201d As the curtain rose \u201ca large chorus of pretty and shapely girls in pink fleshings and short skirts pranced forth (in) a huge sensation\u201d for the audience, a scribe would recount.<\/p>\n

Maud Rittenhouse, schoolgirl actress, sat spellbound. \u201cOh! It was grand!\u201d she recorded in diary. \u201cSeated in that comfortable, spacious, lovely theatre with its blaze of lights, immense stage, artistic scenes, I couldn\u2019t realize I was in Cairo until I looked around me and beheld the familiar faces\u2026 all the people in<\/em> town, and many from abroad. Not a seat in parquet or parquet-circle, only a few in dress-circle, and some in gallery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thirteen hundred spectators packed the auditorium trimmed in Victorian woodwork, ornamental plaster and crimson drapery. Gas-jet chandeliers, globes and foot lamps provided lighting, and acoustics were \u201cperfect as everything else,\u201d touted\u00a0The Cairo Bulletin<\/em>. There were 36 exits for fire safety. The brick building stood four stories, occupying most the\u00a0600 block<\/a>\u00a0bounded by Commercial Avenue and Railroad Street [later renamed Halliday Avenue]. The facility culminated a long drive of local supporters, their shared vision since the likes of Perry Powers and W.H. Morris, deceased showmen.<\/p>\n

The Opera House joined theaters, halls, saloons, showboats and excursion steamers among stage venues of Cairo, pronounced Kare-Oh<\/em>, amusement hotbed at juncture of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The self-proclaimed \u201clittle city\u201d counted 9,000 residents with a quarter-million visitors annually. During the 19th<\/sup> century this rural locale developed a brand of entertainment \u201cmore influential and more widely distributed than that of Chicago,\u201d according to a modern analysis. American vaudeville flourished, variety shows for families, and burlesque thrived, too, despite opposition of churchmen and others.<\/p>\n

Variety was staple entertainment combining song, dance, comedy and drama, or \u201cmirth and pathos and music,\u201d per a review of the Templeton performance. Variety was a series of short acts, related or not, in musical ditties, dance steps, laughs, acrobatic stunts and animal tricks\u2014\u201cA \u00a0Veritable Mardi Gras,\u201d declared a\u00a0show advertisement.<\/p>\n

A troupe utilized variety for a fast-hitting program or for carrying melodrama from opening scene to climax. Companies touring Cairo included the Alice Oates English Comic Opera, Ada Richmond Comic Opera, Harry Webber in \u201cNip and Tuck Detectives,\u201d the Milton Nobles Comedy Company, Wallack\u2019s Comedy Company, Felix Vincent with Mollie Anderson, and Alf Burnett with Helen Nash.<\/p>\n

Homegrown performers came back as American stars in the 1880s: Katie Putnam, banjo and dance maven, and Sol Smith Russell, singing comedian. Both began locally under the tutelage of Putnam\u2019s mother, Mary McWilliams, actress and theater manager. Popular actress Minnie Maddern Fiske<\/a> made a return of sorts, having been on stage\u00a0in the<\/em> womb<\/em>\u00a0at Cairo; her mother was actress Lizzie Maddern, who worked while pregnant at end of the war.<\/p>\n

Tony Denier\u2019s pantomime troupe presented his famed clown characters amidst theater spectacles of music, comedy and circus stunts. The company\u2019s signature production, \u201cHumpty Dumpty,\u201d turned profit on multiple runs at Cairo. The Denier production came replete with orchestra, military band, wire walkers, jugglers, gymnasts and chalked-face mimes to accompany the star clown. Denier was Brooklyn-born and roundly skilled, authoring how-to books on theater and circus performance. He\u2019d studied in France as a youth, immersed in circus culture and vaudeville of the Old World.<\/p>\n

Female burlesque was considered sacrilege by some in Cairo, plain obscene by more folks. But city councilmen were unanimously in favor. They adjourned council meeting early on Thanksgiving Eve, 1876, rushing off to see Madame Rentz\u2019s burlesque company at Atheneum Theatre. The Rentz women were American celebrities, \u201cvoluptuous\u201d and “suggestive” on stage, according to reviews. M.B. Leavitt, later known as Father of Burlesque, managed the troupe on a triumphant tour northward from New Orleans.<\/p>\n

Music, stunts, parody and satire comprised early burlesque, interspersing feminine imagery and erotica, when bare ankles and high heels were termed risqu\u00e9. The Rentz Company cultivated renown as \u201cscantily clad,\u201d led by curvy star Mabel Santley, which meant low-cut blouses, knee skirts, frilly petticoats and bloomers, sheer stockings. Skin exposed below necklines was limited to arms and cleavage. Show-goers did know a madam burlesquer might wear short pants on stage, for a tantalizing prospect that risked her arrest. The theater wasn\u2019t the circus, even at Cairo.<\/p>\n

Cutesy, buxom burlesquers sang, danced, cracked jokes, shed tears on cue. They turned flips on stage, jumped rope, rode swings in titillating fashion, smiling and singing funny songs, making eye contact with men. \u201cThe girls\u201d pedaled about on velocipedes\u2014bikes on tall wheels\u2014their butts perched atop tiny seats, swaying provocatively. They joined in leggy line for the \u201ccan-can dance,\u201d patent high kicking to blaring brass and crashing cymbals. The audience watched every move, virtually male throughout, whistling and whooping.<\/p>\n

The famed Chapman Sisters raised eyebrows for skimpy attire at Cairo, coming out in leotards and silk leggings. A local critic remarked \u201cthe costuming might seem objectionable, but there was nothing in the play that could be objected to.\u201d Blanche<\/a> and Ella<\/a> Chapman were burlesque queens and showbiz royalty, having been reared in theater, learning to \u201cact well, sing sweetly, and dance splendidly,\u201d a scribe attested.<\/p>\n

They also wrote well\u2014at Cairo the sisters created hilarious satire of local life and personalities, assisted by their mother, legendary actress Julia Drake Chapman. As descendants of showboat and theater pioneers, the Chapman women drew on family river lore and contacts to present a zinging parody on Cairo. \u201cIt abounded with local hits, nearly all of which were loudly applauded by the audience,\u201d The Bulletin<\/em> observed. \u201cIt is a marvel how the troupe learned so much about Cairo in so short a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The paper endorsed burlesque of the Worrell Sisters accompanied by comedian George S. Knight, but editors took exception with the May Fiske English Blondes.\u00a0The Bulletin<\/em>\u00a0ripped Fiske’s cast of mostly bleached hairdos for selling \u201cnastiness\u2026 verbal smut and shapely female ankles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Femme fatale Fanny B. Price caused the newspaper to suspend publication for threat of a labor strike. The young actress entranced gobs of boys and men, particularly along the rivers West and South. Males adored Price, penning letters and placing print notices for her at ports like Cairo, where 45 men publicized their names. Price was a tragedian player, \u201cgirlish\u201d and \u201cprepossessing\u201d in appearance. She excelled in roles such as Parthenia, Greek maiden of myth, and Lady Macbeth. Bulletin<\/em> pressmen were riled over missing her at the Atheneum on Thanksgiving, 1873; as they discussed skipping work, the editor canceled the paper\u2019s printing instead, and the boys saw the show. Fans viewed Price as \u201cchaste and pleasing,\u201d and Cairo men fawned for decades, until finally she\u2019d been married, divorced and remarried, living in South Dakota.<\/p>\n

Price\u2019s vocals and dancing rated from capable to superior, which was standard of top thespians appearing at Cairo. Mary Anderson, stage phenomenon from Louisville, succeeded Price as a hot ticket locally, accompanied by actor John W. Norton. Kate Claxton was a hit dramatist, hearing calls for encore. Lawrence Barrett and Englishman Frederick Warde were fantastic in Shakespeare portrayals, according to The Bulletin<\/em>, while Robert McWade personified a classic Rip Van Winkle, truest to Washington Irving\u2019s character.<\/p>\n

But the paper also scolded readers over lackluster support for serious drama, a national trend. Critically acclaimed actors could go broke in the hinterland, such as Price’s stranding on occasion with her outfit. \u201cThose were the days of fat parts and good notices, but no salaries,\u201d recalled Roland Reed, former actor. Once, with the troupe stuck in Illinois, Reed turned to comedy, his forte, staging shows that paid train fare home for everyone.<\/p>\n

With Old World convention on decline in America, classical drama had a problem for its dearth of fashionable music. In the delta and elsewhere, most Americans wanted popular music and stirring beats. People wanted song and dance\u2014\u201cleg ball, fantastic toes\u201d\u2014whether for watching or participating.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Famous persons often passed unrecognized in Cairo, Illinois, before photography\u2019s mass dissemination. Luminaries were many in town during the latter 19th<\/sup> century, recognizable names like Susan B. Anthony, American suffragette; James Milton Turner, civil rights pioneer; James B. Eads, steel bridge master; \u201cweather prophet\u201d John H. Tice; burlesque icon Lydia Thompson; and Ben De Bar, actor and theater mogul. But most celebrities were unfamiliar at first glance around Cairo. Tell-all author Ann Eliza Young, internationally known speaker as the divorced Wife No. 19<\/em> of Brigham Young, was just another face off a train until introduced for her eager audience at the Atheneum.<\/p>\n

Some celebrities were easily identified, however, for their images engraved en masse on news pages, magazine covers, show-bills and product advertisements. And alerts usually preceded such arrivals at Cairo, information publicized or telegraphed.<\/p>\n

Locals gathered atop the Ohio levee in 1882 to await boxer John L. Sullivan, heavyweight champion, the Babe Ruth of Victorian sport. They watched railcars with Sullivan\u2019s entourage cross the river on transfer barges, for re-connection on the Cairo side. The reassembled train chugged up to level tracks for layover and townspeople rushed private cars on beelines.<\/p>\n

Kids and adults raced to see Sullivan<\/em>, man and myth. \u201cHe was finally discovered near one of the windows of the Chicago sleeper, and after much solicitation and begging on the part of the crowd to show himself on the platform, he walked to the rear end of the car and descended to terra firma,\u201d The Bulletin<\/em> reported. \u201cHe was kept busy shaking hands with the crowd until the train moved out to Chicago.\u201d Before departure the champ wired a St. Louis paper, rebuking the report he was \u201cdrunk and on a carousel for two days\u201d in New Orleans. \u201cAbsolutely false,\u201d decried John L. Sullivan.<\/p>\n

The showman renowned as \u201cTom Thumb,\u201d Charles S. Stratton, needed no introduction in Cairo, attracting crowds everywhere. Three hundred children attended a theater matinee starring Tom Thumb, Commodore Nutt and their wives, \u201cThe Lilliputian Quartette,\u201d in song, dance and comedy. Rare few Americans were recognizable like Tom Thumb, for his mentions and likenesses pervading pop culture. William \u201cBuffalo Bill\u201d was another, the western scout turned entertainer.<\/p>\n

Locals had heard plenty, read plenty of Buffalo Bill by the time his Wild West troupe arrived via railroad for a theater production. Cody was unmistakable stepping from the car, a dead ringer for his portraits plastered about on fences and buildings. An admiring mob trailed Buffalo Bill from train depot to ground floor of the Halliday Hotel. \u201cIt was really amusing to see men of all ages stand with hands in their pockets and open mouths, staring in mute wonder at the tall, finely formed, neatly dressed, long-haired, pleasantly faced hero of novels and of the plains\u2026 the exact counterpart of the fine engravings of him on the fancy bills.\u201d Black and white kids filled the walk affront the hotel, boys aplenty. They jostled each other, peering inside for Buffalo Bill, \u201ctheir eager faces against the large windows, expressing awe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cody drew the biggest attendance yet at the new Opera House, upwards of 2,000 jammed in seats and standing space, children everywhere. Blacks filled segregated seating in the dress circle. Buffalo Bill\u2019s western extravaganza featured musicians, dancers, American Indians and cowboys. Cody took spotlight for his marksmanship, shooting tiny objects around the stage while \u201cholding the gun in many different positions,\u201d recounted The Bulletin<\/em>. Apparently no ricochet bullet reached the audience.<\/p>\n

Future analysts would lambast such entertainment for racial and gender stereotyping, and firearms, endangerment, among issues. But all shades of people loved the content in real time, 1880s America, and many strove to perform on stage. Buffalo Bill\u2019s western show electrified the Cairo Opera House in delta frontier. \u201cWhen the curtain went down upon the last act, the house shook with wild shouts, clapping of hands and stamping of feet, and there was a general expression of the wish that the company would remain another day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday morning about 11 o\u2019clock, headed by a cornet band, [Cody] led his band of Indians picturesquely uniformed and on horseback through the principal streets. The sidewalks along the line of march were crowded almost densely with people, and the streets were alive with noisy boys. From here the company went to Evansville, leaving on the Wabash train.\u201d<\/p>\n

A western show relied on cowboy singers, fiddle scratchers and banjo pickers. \u201cWestern music\u201d was sprouting in America with siblings variously labeled as cowboy songs, frontier melodies, rural music, farmer\u2019s music, quadrille songs, folk ballads, plantation melodies\u2014and country music<\/em>, someday the umbrella classification.<\/p>\n

\u201cCountry music\u201d was characterized in winter 1887 by a newspaper correspondent in Illinois, reporting details of a sleighing party east of Decatur. Bobsleds and snow cutters fetched guests from town for evening rides overland, to the estate of farmer Bering Burrows. \u201cThere was [square] dancing in country style to country calling, and country music, and at 11 o\u2019clock an old-fashioned country supper was served. After supper, dancing was resumed and continued until 12:30, when the ride home was commenced.\u201d Horse-drawn sleighs zipped over the landscape, moonlit snow cover, returning folks home until 2 a.m.<\/p>\n

The Cairo region was thick with country fiddlers and banjo pickers, white and black. Southern songs resounded, such as Dixie<\/em> and Turkey In The Straw<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Henry Hart\u2019s string band showcased his fiddling at square dances from Indiana to Missouri. Tom Lewis, multi-tasking musician, published a newspaper, played fiddle and poured drinks in his Gem Saloon at Cairo. Local bandleader Charles Wittig had sons and daughter in string ensembles, forming a fiddling family for dances and stage shows. Other top musicians heading string groups included Harry O\u2019Brien, George Eisenberg, Lee Boicourt, Edward Dezonia, George Storer, A.L. Goss and Edward Lemon.<\/p>\n

Transients proved good fiddlers in Cairo, like the stranger who grabbed up violin and bow at Carle\u2019s Livery, \u201cstriking suddenly into the tune of The Arkansas Traveler<\/a><\/em>, which he played in an astonishing manner.\u201d Men paused in front the stable and danced jigs, including cops, attorneys, the mayor, a judge, doctor, editor, even preachers. They competed at toe twirls and Reuben Yocum won, court clerk, \u201cgoing it alone and making four\u201d on the dirt avenue. One morning a boy fiddler strolled Cairo, a \u201cmusical prodigy\u201d about age 5, The Bulletin<\/em> reported, accompanied by an unkempt man on second violin. Children gravitated to the wee musician, following him along streets in \u201cadmiration and envy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Banjo music was trademark of Cairo and Missouri landings since the instrument was established by African slaves and freemen. White minstrel Emory M. Hall performed a history lesson on stage, playing artifact banjos and songs in period progression since the 1700s. Hall began with a gourd banjo and its three strings on a stick, from the instrument class of cornstalk fiddle and sassafras bow. He concluded on his customized 13-inch Clarke banjo, \u201cThe Thunderer,\u201d picking five strings on a fretted fingerboard. Hall had rigged together his first banjo during the Civil War, a cheese box with horse-hair strings, as Union drummer boy in Louisiana. \u201cI made music out of the thing,\u201d the Maine native said in 1898.<\/p>\n

Hall played masterfully and knew music history better than professors, garnering repute as Paganini of Banjo<\/em>, America’s \u201cbest twanger of strings.\u201d A solo by Hall sounded \u201csimply wonderful,\u201d saluted an Alabama paper, \u201cplaying as he does the most difficult variations on favorite themes [like] Home Sweet Home<\/em>.\u201d In Memphis a critic raved: \u201cHe is to the banjo what Ole Bull is to the violin, eliciting\u2026 sweetest and most touching melody.\u201d<\/p>\n

E.M. Hall was among Chicago minstrels closely associated with southern Illinois, a group that included dancer Andy McKee and singing stepper Cal Wagner. Hall played Cairo under various managements, including J.H. Haverly, until his death of the disastrous theater fire at Chicago in 1903.<\/p>\n

Minstrel Dick McGowan was also a superior banjo talent in Cairo, along with George Powers and Edwin French, a pair on par excellence with Hall. Actress Kate Partington picked banjo for encores at the Opera House, starring in \u201cUncle Tom\u2019s Cabin\u201d as “Topsy” in blackface.<\/p>\n

Afro-American banjoists picked ragtime and country melodies at Cairo before the Civil War, according to numerous sources of 1800s news coverage. Charles E. Trevathan was a white songwriter and journalist, native of west Tennessee bottoms along the Mississippi. In 1896 he surmised that ragtime originated \u201cas a simple beat, but practice brought it to the dignity of a rhythm, weird, in no degree like any other musical expression, and intensely characteristic of the people who gave it birth. Now you may go anywhere along the Mississippi River from St. Louis to New Orleans, at Cairo, Memphis, Natchez\u2026 and you will hear the rag.\u201d<\/p>\n

Black troupes brought extraordinary banjoists, notably the Georgia Minstrels in various combinations. The Georgias<\/em> put a \u201cbanjo orchestra\u201d on stage, upwards of a dozen artists coming together before a steamboat backdrop, and strings were \u201cmade to talk.\u201d The Bohee brothers, James D. and George B., were star pickers along with Dick Little, John H. Taylor, J. Locke Warwick, James Layton, C.F. Stanbury and Horace Weston. \u201cThe Georgias have no superiors and are favorites with the Cairo public,\u201d The Bulletin<\/em> emphasized, repeatedly.<\/p>\n

American music pioneer James A. Bland headlined for the company at Cairo while introducing his popular songs from 1874 to 1881. Bland had grown up a free black in Washington, D.C., becoming a professional entertainer at 14 and later graduating from Howard University. Bland was multi-skilled as a composer, banjoist, singer, dancer and comedian. His classics Carry Me Back to Old Virginny<\/a> and O! Dem Golden Slippers<\/a> were among tunes he debuted with The Georgias, pleasing audiences across ethic lines. In Decatur, Illinois, the newspaper gushed over a \u201cmonster band concert led by the inimitable Bland.\u201d Ford\u2019s Theater in Washington proudly billed \u201cThe Great James Bland\u201d in spring 1881, prior to his departure for Europe and international acclaim.<\/p>\n

The Georgias stocked name performers like Tom McIntosh, Bob Height, William Allen and many more. Bar none the biggest star was Billy Kersands, hysterical song-and-dance man who ranked among highest paid during his prime, of any race. Kersands was tall, athletic and handsome, commanding spotlight anywhere, London and Windsor Castle notwithstanding.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is as much the \u2018propensity\u2019 of Mr. William Kersands to be funny as it is the propensity of men generally to eat and drink,\u201d an English critic remarked. \u201cThe singing of\u2026 whimsical effusion and the comic expression of face caused roars of laughter. Mr. Kersands has equal talent as a dancer. There never was a more nimble fellow on \u2018the light fantastic toe,\u2019 and his imitations of an opera dancer were droll in the extreme.\u201d<\/p>\n

Billy Kersands played dates in the northern delta spanning five decades, with perhaps his last appearance in 1910, the Cairo Airdome. Kersands died in New Mexico, 1915, on a summer tour through desert towns by automobile.<\/p>\n

Writer and consultant Matt Chaney is compiling a book on historical song and dance, tentatively titled\u00a0<\/em>From River Music to Rock in the Missouri Delta. For more information see the\u00a0<\/em>ChaneysBlog\u00a0page\u00a0<\/em>\u201cMusic History and Legend of the Missouri Delta.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0For information on Chaney\u2019s previous books, visit\u00a0<\/em>www.fourwallspublishing.com<\/a>.\u00a0 Email:<\/em>\u00a0mattchaney@fourwallspublishing.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Select References<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Brief Retrospect. (1883, Sept. 20). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

A Delightful Serenade. (1869, June 15). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

A History of the Theatre in Louisville. (1922, Jan. 29). Louisville Courier-Journal<\/em> KY, p. 25.<\/p>\n

A Local Reminiscence. (1877, Aug. 28). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 5.<\/p>\n

A Mississippi Reminiscence. (1870, Nov. 1). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 1.<\/p>\n

A National Cattlemen\u2019s Convention. (1884, Oct. 25). Louisville Courier-Journal<\/em> KY, p. 6.<\/p>\n

A Noted Musician. (1899, Aug. 5). Carbondale Free Press<\/em> IL, p. 7.<\/p>\n

A Social Necessity. (1901, April 6). Indianapolis News<\/em> IN, p. 24.<\/p>\n

A Stage Afloat. (1883, Dec. 20). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 1.<\/p>\n

Ada Richmond\u2019s Career. (1896, May 5). Boston Globe<\/em> MA, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Afloat. (1837, June 6). New Orleans Times-Picayune<\/em> LA, p. 2.<\/p>\n

All Sorts of Paragraphs. (1865, Nov. 28). Cairo Evening Times<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

America\u2019s Grand Novelty! (1876, Nov. 19). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

American Museum and Perpetual Fair. (1843, Dec. 11). New York Evening Post<\/em> NY, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Amusement Notes. (1879, April 22). Fort Wayne Sentinel<\/em> IN, p. 1.<\/p>\n

Amusement Notes. (1880, Feb. 25). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Amusements. (1865, Sept. 7). Cairo Evening Times<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Amusements. (1865, Sept. 11). Cairo Evening Times<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Amusements. (1865, Sept. 12). Cairo Evening Times<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Amusements. (1866, Sept. 20). Evansville Journal<\/em> IN, p. 8.<\/p>\n

Amusements. (1868, May 19). Pittsburgh Post<\/em> PA, p. 1.<\/p>\n

Amusements. (1868, Nov. 15). New Orleans Times-Picayune LA, p. 8.<\/p>\n

Amusements. (1873, Jan. 25). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 2.<\/p>\n

Amusements. (1874, Aug. 3). St. Louis Post-Dispatch<\/em> MO, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Amusements. (1877, April 5). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Amusements. (1879, June 24). Chicago Inter Ocean<\/em> IL, p. 8.<\/p>\n

Amusements. (1879, July 1). Chicago Tribune<\/em> IL, p. 5.<\/p>\n

Amusements. (1879, Oct. 14). Cincinnati Enquirer<\/em> OH, p. 8.<\/p>\n

Amusements. (1898, April 10). Nebraska State Journal<\/em>, Lincoln NE, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Amusements. (1898, Aug. 13). Washington Star<\/em> DC, p. 24.<\/p>\n

Amusements. (1904, Aug. 5). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 6.<\/p>\n

An Immense Affair. (1881, March 29). Decatur Review<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

An Old-Time Sugar Camp. (1886, June 18). Mattoon Gazette<\/em> IL, p. 7.<\/p>\n

Ann Eliza Young, Brigham Young\u2019s Wife No. 19. (1876, April 20). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Another Theatre. (1910, March 21). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Arp, B. (1884, Oct. 1). Arp\u2019s Counsels. Our Mountain Home<\/em>, Talladega AL, p. 1.<\/p>\n

Asbestos Curtain in Theater Death Trap Annihilated by Blast of Air During Fire. (1904, Jan. 1). Chicago Inter Ocean<\/em> IL, pp. 1,4.<\/p>\n

Atheneum. (1865, Oct. 13). Cairo Evening Times<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Atheneum. (1865, Oct. 14). Cairo Evening Times<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Atheneum. (1865, Oct. 29). Cairo Evening Times<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

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Atheneum! (1874, Nov. 14). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Atheneum. (1876, March 4). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Atheneum. (1876, Nov. 15). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Atheneum. (1877, Feb. 27). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Atheneum. (1877, April 13). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Atheneum! (1877, Oct. 25). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Atheneum. (1877, Nov. 11). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Atheneum! (1878, March 10). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Atheneum. (1879, May 1). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Atheneum! (1879, Oct. 17). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 6.<\/p>\n

Atheneum. (1880, Nov. 3). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Atheneum. (1881, Jan. 14). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Atheneum. (1881, March 13). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Atheneum. (1881, March 31). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Atheneum. (1881, May 6). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Atheneum\u2014One Night Only. (1875, Feb. 20). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Atheneum\u2014One Night Only. (1877, Dec. 7). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Auction. 1865, Sept. 9). Cairo Evening Times<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Banjo Playing. (1882, Oct. 12). New Orleans Times-Picayune<\/em> LA, p. 9.<\/p>\n

\u201cBig Black Boom.\u201d (1890, July 25). Davenport Democrat<\/em> IA, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Birthplace of the Banjo. (1900, July 8). Chicago Tribune<\/em> IL, p. 43.<\/p>\n

\u201cBooking\u201d for the Season. (1888, July 26). Pulaski Citizen<\/em> TN, p. 1.<\/p>\n

Brief Locals. (1877, Oct. 25). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Brevities. (1872, Nov. 28). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Actress Lives on Farm. (1905, May 15). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 2.<\/p>\n

Cairo Bulletin. (1873, Feb. 26). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Local News. (1873, Nov. 27). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Cairo Local News. (1874, Feb. 21). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1881, Dec. 12). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1881, Dec. 20). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1882, Feb. 4). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1882, Oct. 10). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1882, Oct. 20). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1882, Nov. 11). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1882, Dec. 12). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1883, Oct. 12). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1883, Nov. 1). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1884, Jan. 18). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1884, Nov. 11). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1884, Nov. 23). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1884, Dec. 2). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1905, April 5). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 8.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1906, Dec. 6). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo Opera House. (1907, Dec. 17). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Cairo\u2019s Pride! (1881, Dec. 16), Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, pp. 1, 4.<\/p>\n

Capt. Eads. (1877, Nov. 8). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Cherub\u2019s Chat. (1883, Oct. 20). St. Louis Post-Dispatch<\/em> MO, p. 9.<\/p>\n

Chilton, O.W. (1934, July 6). Side glances. Caruthersville Democrat-Argus<\/em> MO, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Christmas Eve Ball. (1869, Dec. 12). Charleston Courier<\/em> MO, p. 2.<\/p>\n

City and County. (1866, Aug. 2). Janesville Gazette WI, p. 1.<\/p>\n

City and Vicinity. (1879, Jan. 24). Black Hills Times<\/em>, Deadwood SD, p. 4.<\/p>\n

City Council. (1876, Nov. 23). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

City Council. (1881, Jan. 13). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

City Department. (1879, July 6). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

City News. (1866, Sept. 17). Evansville, Ind. Evansville Journal<\/em> IN, p. 8.<\/p>\n

City News. (1875, Oct. 31). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

City News. (1879, Nov. 29). Indianapolis Leader<\/em> IN, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Conner, E.S. (1881, June 5). New York Times<\/em> NY, p. 10.<\/p>\n

Correspondence. (1866, June 7). Lancaster Gazette<\/em> OH, p.3.<\/p>\n

Correspondence. (1869, March 5.). Vicksburg Herald<\/em> MS, p.3.<\/p>\n

DeGive\u2019s. (1875, March 30). Atlanta Constitution<\/em> GA, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Down on Dancing. (1887, April 11). St. Louis Post-Dispatch<\/em> MO, p. 2.<\/p>\n

Dramatics on a Flatboat. (1884, Jan. 27). Boston Globe<\/em> MA, p. 9.<\/p>\n

Educative, Instructive, Entertaining! (1884, Nov. 16). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Ellsler\u2019s Atheneum. (1864, Sept. 1). Ohio Statesman<\/em>, Columbus OH, p. 2.
\nEpiscopalians to Celebrate Anniversary 50. (1912, Nov. 3). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 5.<\/p>\n

Facts for the Curious. (1881, Jan. 27). Stockings. Clay Center Dispatch<\/em> KS, p. 2.<\/p>\n

Ford\u2019s\u2026 The Georgia Minstrels. (1881, May 16). [Advertisement.] Baltimore Sun<\/em> MD, p. 1.<\/p>\n

From Canton. (1880, Nov. 25). McPherson Republican<\/em> KS, p. 2.<\/p>\n

From Exchanges. (1902, Sept. 25). Caruthersville Democrat<\/em> MO, p. 12.<\/p>\n

Full of Peril and Adventure. (1895, Oct. 20). St. Louis Post-Dispatch<\/em> MO, p. 25.<\/p>\n

Fun in the Country. (1887, Jan. 7). Decatur Herald<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Gen. Grant in Cairo. (1880, April 17). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Items. (1875, April 10). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

General Items. (1875, Sept. 23). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

General Items. (1875, Nov. 14). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1879, Dec. 19). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1880, Dec. 16). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1881, April 29). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1881, Dec. 17). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1882, Jan. 8). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1882, April 29). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1882, May 11). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1882, July 9). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1882, Oct. 24). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1882, Nov. 15). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1883, Jan. 18). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1883, Jan. 20). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1883, Sept. 22). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1883, Nov. 10). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1884, Oct. 24). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1884, Dec. 4). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

General Local Items. (1884, Dec. 5). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

General Local News. (1880, March 28). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local News. (1880, March 31). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General Local News. (1881, March 2). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

General News of the City and County. (1900, Dec. 28). Caruthersville Democrat<\/em> MO, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Goss, A.L. (1880, Sept. 28). A card. Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Gould, F. (1958, Feb. 19). Hall became carnival scene for Mission. Indianapolis News<\/em> IN, p. 28.<\/p>\n

Graham, P. (1951). Showboats: The history of an American institution<\/em>. University of Texas Press: Austin TX.<\/p>\n

Grand Excursion. (1883, May 17). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Grand Gala Night! (1876, Jan. 7). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Grand Old-Time Fiddlers\u2019 Contest. (1902, Sept. 25). Pemiscot Press<\/em>, Caruthersville MO, p. 12.<\/p>\n

Grand Opera House. (1880, Nov. 14). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Grand Opera-House. (1882, Aug. 27). [Advertisement.] Chicago Tribune<\/em> IL, p. 16.<\/p>\n

Harper\u2019s Weekly. (1871, June 12). Fort Wayne Gazette<\/em> IN, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Haverly\u2019s Black Minstrels. (1881, Aug. 6). London Era<\/em>, England, p. 14.<\/p>\n

Haverly\u2019s Genuines. (1881, Aug. 1). Chicago Inter Ocean<\/em> IL, p. 8.<\/p>\n

Haverly\u2019s Minstrels. (1874, Sept. 25). Memphis Appeal<\/em> TN, p. 4.<\/p>\n

He is Truly American. (1889, Sept. 1). Chicago Tribune<\/em> IL, p. 7.<\/p>\n

Henry Hart as a Composer. (1870, Aug. 16). Evansville Journal<\/em> IN, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Henry Hart, Colored, is Dead at Age 75. (1915, Dec. 7). Indianapolis News<\/em> IN, p. 22.<\/p>\n

Hon. J. Milton Turner Last Night. (1879, Jan. 23). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Husking Bees. (1906, Oct. 20). Washington Times<\/em> DC, p. 7.<\/p>\n

In and Around The City. (1878, March 10). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

In and Around The City. (1879, Sept. 9). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Justice at Last. (1895, Oct. 5). Buffalo Morning Express<\/em> NY, p. 12.<\/p>\n

Knight\u2019s Combination. (1877, Nov. 14). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Knapp, E.M. (1876, Dec. 7). Talks with My Music Scholars. Saline County Journal<\/em>, Salina KS, p. 1.<\/p>\n

\u201cLa Mascotte\u201d Makes a Hit. (1905, April 18). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 6.<\/p>\n

Local Brevities. (1876, Nov. 22). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Local Happenings. (1878, Dec. 31). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Local Intelligence. (1874, Oct. 9). Montgomery Advertiser<\/em> AL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Local Intelligence. (1879, Feb. 22). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Local Intelligence. (1879, May 2). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Local Items. (1877, Feb. 27). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Local Items. (1877, Feb. 28). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Local Items. (1877, March 6). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Local Items. (1877, Nov. 22). Topeka State Journal<\/em> KS, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Loved a Chalk-Face. (1885, May 7). Buffalo News<\/em> NY, p. 7.<\/p>\n

Ludlow, N.M. (1880). Dramatic Life as I Found It<\/em>. G.I. Jones and Company: St. Louis MO.<\/p>\n

Macdonald, M. (2017, July 5). Female firsts. Anderson Valley Advertiser<\/em>, theava.com, Boonville CA.<\/p>\n

Madame Rentz\u2019s Minstrels. (1876, Feb. 3). Minneapolis Star Tribune<\/em> MN, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Matters of Local Import. (1878, Dec. 6). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Mayne, I.M.R., with Strout, R.L. [Ed.] (1939). Maud<\/em>. Macmillan & Company: New York NY.<\/p>\n

McWade. (1876, Nov. 12). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Michigan-Av. Theatre. (1872, Feb. 4). Chicago Tribune<\/em> IL, p. 7.<\/p>\n

Michigan Items. (1876, Sept. 22). True Northerner<\/em>, Paw Paw MI, p. 2.<\/p>\n

Minstrels at Airdome. (1910, July 19). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Miss Kate Claxton. (1880, March 30). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Mixed Up. (1899, March 18). Cape Girardeau Democrat<\/em> MO, p. 5.<\/p>\n

Musgrove, C.H. (1899, Feb. 5). Louisville Originated Rag-Time Umti-Diddy-Dum Music. Louisville Courier-Journal <\/em>KY, p. 17.<\/p>\n

Musical and Dramatic. (1879, May 5). Rochester Democrat and Chronicle<\/em> NY, p. 4.<\/p>\n

New Band. (1875, May 14). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

News of the City. (1870, Sept. 21). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Nick and Tuck. (1880, Feb. 22). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Old-Time Minstrelsy. (1874, Sept. 11). National Republican<\/em>, Washington DC, p. 1.<\/p>\n

On Friday Evening. (1873, Dec. 21). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Opera House. (1882, Jan. 29). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Opera House. (1882, Nov. 26). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Opera House. (1883, Dec. 18). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Origin of Vaudeville. (1901, Feb. 22). Emporia Times<\/em> KS, p. 2.<\/p>\n

Our Friend, Dr. Condon of Anna. (1873, Jan. 20). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Our Picayunes. (1886, March 7). New Orleans Times-Picayune<\/em> LA, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Our Round-About Pocket. (1874, March 4). Amusement Matters. Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Passed Paducah. (1898, Jan. 10). Paducah Sun-Democrat<\/em> KY, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Personal. (1874, Dec. 12). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Pith and Point. (1878, July 11). Batesville Guard<\/em> AR, p. 1.<\/p>\n

Property Changes. (1882, Nov. 25). Cairo Bulletin IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Raffling. (1871, Aug. 22). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Reilly, W.E. (2004, Oct. 4). Maine man became \u2018Paganini of the banjo.\u2019 Bangor Daily News<\/em> ME, bangordailynews.com.<\/p>\n

Review of Amusements. (1874, June 14). Chicago Tribune<\/em> IL, p. 7.<\/p>\n

River News. (1876, Feb. 23). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

River News. (1884, April 20). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Roland Reed Dead. (1901, March 31). Boston Globe<\/em> MA, p. 1.<\/p>\n

Rural Music. (1894, April 26). Sterling Standard<\/em> IL, p. 16.<\/p>\n

Salaries of Negro Minstrels. (1882, Oct. 18). Cairo Bulletin <\/em>IL, p. 2.<\/p>\n

Select Council. (1871, June 16). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Slout, W.L. (2005). Brown\u2019s burnt cork activity. [Online] classic.circushistory.org.<\/p>\n

Sol Smith Russell. (1882, Nov. 26). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

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Special Local Items. (1882, Jan. 20). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Sprague\u2019s Original (?) Georgias. (1879, Nov. 24). Harrisburg Independent<\/em> PA, p. 1.<\/p>\n

Stage Talk. (1879, Sept. 17). Decatur Republican<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

Stallings, R. (1940). The Drama in Southern Illinois (1865-1900). Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society<\/em>, 33, pp. 190-202.<\/p>\n

Strang, L.C. (1900). Sol Smith Russell. In Famous Actors of the Day in America<\/em>, pp. 248-259. L.C. Page and Company: Boston MA.<\/p>\n

Such is Fate. (1865, Nov. 23). Cairo Evening Times<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

Taylor, B. (1899, July 22). Governor Taylor\u2019s Love Letters to the Public. Grenada Sentinel<\/em> MS, p. 6.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Arkansas Traveler.\u201d (1886, March 19). Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle<\/em> TN, p. 1.<\/p>\n

The Atheneum\u2014The Metropolitan Star Troupe. (1869, Oct. 14). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

The Atheneum To-Night. (1877, Nov. 15). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

The Atlantic Monthly. (1873, Jan. 19). Chicago Tribune IL, p. 12.<\/p>\n

The Big Hit They Made. (1885, April 3). Brookville Transcript<\/em> KS, p. 2.<\/p>\n

The Champion Pugilist. (1882, Feb. 11). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

The Chapman Sisters. (1873, March 12). San Francisco Examiner<\/em> CA, p. 3.<\/p>\n

The Chapman Sisters. (1873, Nov. 14). Montgomery Advertiser<\/em> AL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

The City. (1865, Nov. 21). Cairo Evening Times<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

The City. (1866, Dec. 7). Theater. Vicksburg Times<\/em> MS, p. 3.<\/p>\n

The Country Dance. (1883, June 6). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

The Dance. (1901, May 30). Pemiscot Press<\/em>, Caruthersville MO, p. 12.<\/p>\n

The Delta City Cornet Band. (1873, June 6). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

The Drama. (1875, April 18). Chicago Tribune<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

The Event of the Season! (1874, Jan. 29). [Advertisement.] Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

The Excursion Last Night. (1875, Aug. 29). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 3.<\/p>\n

The Famous Rentz Santley Novelty & Burlesque Co.<\/em> (1890). [Theatrical poster.] Courier Lithograph Company: Buffalo NY.<\/p>\n

The Georgia Minstrels. (1865, Oct. 24). Cleveland Leader<\/em> OH, p. 4.<\/p>\n

The Georgias. (1878, Sept. 24). Sioux City Journal<\/em> IA, p. 3.<\/p>\n

The Iowa Homestead. (1873, Aug. 8). Holt County Sentinel<\/em>, Oregon MO, p. 3.<\/p>\n

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XVth Amendment. (1870, April 1). Cairo Bulletin<\/em> IL, p. 4.<\/p>\n

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Zerneckis, L. (2013). Behind the Burly Q: The story of burlesque in America<\/em>. Skyhorse Publishing: New York, NY.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Twenty-Seventh in a Series By Matt Chaney, for chaneysblog.com Posted Saturday, December 29, 2018 Copyright\u00a0\u00a92018 for original content and historical arrangement by Matthew L. Chaney, Four Walls Publishing The Grand Opera House opened at Cairo, Illinois, in 1881, a spectacular showplace amidst riverine marsh. Fay Templeton headlined on opening night, teen singer and dancer, starring … Continue reading 1881: Song and Dance Rocked The Opera House at Cairo, Illinois<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[283,374],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4ywFp-OR","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3153"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3153"}],"version-history":[{"count":55,"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3483,"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3153\/revisions\/3483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}