The Pennyroyal Opera House is located in an 1830s church building along the former National Road. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

By Ken Drenten

Nestled in the village of Fairview along what was once the National Road sits an interesting building. The white clapboard structure is highly visible along I-70 at the border of Guernsey and Belmont counties.

The building, known now as Pennyroyal Opera House, was originally a church built in the 1830s. The Pennyroyal Reunion Association acquired the building in 1910.  The Pennyroyal Opera House began operations in 1995 and is a not for profit organization set up by The Pennyroyal Reunion committee.

Fairview, platted in 1814, had a post office from 1823 until 1991. The tiny village consists of less than 70 residents, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.

Bluegrass shows were started at Pennyroyal in late summer of 1995. The venue hosts a regular schedule of live bluegrass concerts and is known as “The Place Where Bluegrass Happens.”

The staff of the Pennyroyal Opera House is composed completely of volunteers. The venue attracts top national and regional acts from all over Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and other states.

Coming up soon: Donna Ulisse & The Poor Mountain Boys, Lincoln Highway Bluegrass, March 21; Country Gentlemen Show, March 28; McLain Family Band, Morehead State Ambassadors, April 11; Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, Ryan Abercrombie & Secret Creek, April 25; Wayfarers, Mark Whitt & The True Bluegrass, May 2; Brother Randall & Friends, Old Hometown, May 15. Kitchen opens at 5 p.m., shows start at 7 p.m. Admission information and much more is at their website and at their Facebook page.

Pennyroyal Opera House is located at 139 Fair Ave., Quaker City (Fairview), I-70 exit 198, (740) 492-0375.

By the way — pennyroyal is a species of flowering plant in the mint family that has been used as a traditional folk remedy for warding off fleas and mosquitoes, but is toxic to the liver.

Learn about more historic Ohio theatres at Dusty Tires.

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

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