By Ken Drenten

The Twin City Opera House, which opened to the public in 1892, commands the central square of the town of McConnelsville. It is also arguably the heart of McConnelsville and Morgan County.

The much-loved theatre has been in continuous use since its opening, and is still going strong.

The theatre’s ground floor auditorium was uncommon in the late 1800s, and it is one of the last remaining theaters of its period with that feature. The stage floor is “raked” or sloped by 3 inches, to allow the audience’s front rows to see the performers’ feet. The auditorium’s central dome contributes to the theater’s nearly perfect acoustics. Lines spoken from the rear of the stage can be heard perfectly throughout the room.

The structure was to have included a clock tower, but due to politics and lack of funding, that piece of the project was never built.

In its early days, the opera hosted many famous speakers, including William Jennings Bryan and the Rev. Billy Sunday. In 1913, it was outfitted for presenting silent movies; by 1930, it was showing “talkies” — movies with sound.

The opera house continues today to show movies as well as host live entertainment and special events. It is the home of the Ohio Valley Opry, which has been in existence since 2000. Part variety show, part traditional country, the Ohio Valley Opry attracts local, regional and national talent to fill out a rotating lineup of performers.

The Twin City Opera House is located at 15 W. Main St., McConnelsville, (740) 962-3030.

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Ken Drenten is creator and manager of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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