Remarkable Ohio

Results for: actors
123 West High Street
Hicksville

, OH

Born in Hicksville in 1862, Daeida H.W. Beveridge co-developed and named, in 1887, the Los Angeles, California, suburb of Hollywood, since the early 1900s a world center of the film and television industry. With first husband H.H. Wilcox, she led development efforts there, and was instrumental in establishing much of the civic infrastructure, including the city hall, library, police station, primary school, city park, and much of the commercial district. Remarried to the son of a California governor after Wilcox’s death, she continued to promote Hollywood until her death in 1914.

109 South Sandusky Avenue
Upper Sandusky

, OH

Wyandot County’s third and current courthouse was constructed from 1899-1900. Designed by the firm of Yost & Packard, the architects of courthouses in Wood, Harrison, and other counties, the building is a wonderful example of Beaux-Arts Classicism. The third floor courtroom was featured in the 1994 motion picture “The Shawshank Redemption,” based on a Stephen King novella. Director-screenwriter Frank Darabont chose the courtroom for the opening scenes of the movie, which features Academy Award-winning actors Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Many courtroom “extras” were Wyandot County residents. A time capsule inside Lady Justice, atop the dome, contains a copy of the movie, commemorating ‘Shawshank’ enthusiasts who supported the statue’s 2009 restoration. A restoration of the building was completed in 2015. The courthouse and adjacent jail were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

308 W Auglaize St
Wapakoneta

, OH

The Shannon Stock Company, also known as Shannon’s Famous Players, was a traveling theatre company based in Wapakoneta from 1913 until the Great Depression. Founded by Harry Shannon, the group included his wife Adelaide, their children, Harry Jr. and Hazel, and a company of twenty people or more. The Company performed in theatres in southern states during the winter and in a tent in Ohio, Indiana, and other Midwest states during the summer. When not performing, the Shannons prepared for the next tour while at home here in Wapakoneta. [continued on other side]

118 W Sixth St
Marysville

, OH

Cyprian Lee (1792-1854) settled in the Union County wilderness in 1820 and purchased the 118 West Sixth Street lot in 1828 for $6. County treasurer, coroner, shoemaker, and anti-slavery activist, Lee lived here in a log cabin until 1832 when this Greek Revival two-story brick house was completed. Other notable citizens to have resided in this oldest brick house in Marysville were showman Noah Orr (1836-1882), also known as the “Union County Giant,” and Josiah Jacob Morelock (1833-1899), a member of the Marysville City Council and the first Fire Department in Marysville. The Morelock family tannery business and stables were located behind this house.

226 South Eighth Street
Upper Sandusky

, OH

In 1888, John Shealy bought a lumber yard from the Stoll Brothers. Ten year later, his son, Charles F. Shealy and partner Edwin F. Stephan formed the Shealy Lumber Company. The business had a “well equipped sash and door factory and an extensive lumber yard” and many area homes contained components made by company craftsmen. The Shealy Lumber Company became the Stephan Lumber Company when Shealy sold his share of the partnership to Stephan in 1911.

Central State University, Arnett Drive
Wilberforce

, OH

At the turn of the twentieth century, increased enrollment in the Combined Normal and Industrial Department at Wilberforce University (which later became Central State University) spurred construction of new teaching and dormitory facilities. Galloway Hall, which included an auditorium and a tower with chimes and a clock, was completed in 1906. Many famous personalities performed in Galloway Hall’s auditorium, including the renown opera singer Leontyne Price; Robert McFerrin, the first African American male lead with the New York Metropolitan Opera; actors Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis; comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory; and composer and conductor Duke Ellington. Noted authors and intellectuals addressed audiences there, including historian John Hope Franklin; writer, poet, actor, and playwright Maya Angelou; Lerone Bennett, author, historian, and editor of EBONY Magazine; and writer and essayist James Baldwin. (continued on other side)

325 Ohio Street
Huron

, OH

Ohio’s oldest continuing summer theatre, the Huron Playhouse has been housed at McCormick Middle School for its entire history. Dr. Frederick G. Walsh (1915-1999) of the Bowling Green State University (BGSU) Speech Department founded the theatre in 1949. Huron met Walsh’s expectations for an attractive site for the playhouse, and Huron Schools Superintendent R.L. McCormick (1904-1978) offered the use of this school. The curtain opened on the first Huron Playhouse production, Norman Krasna’s hit Broadway comedy John Loves Mary, on June 29, 1949. With persisting support from BGSU, actors and alumni, and the local community, the acclaimed Playhouse has provided theatrical experience for thousands of students and entertainment for generations of Huron residents.

5648 W. Chapel Road
Madison

, OH

Originally a horse barn owned and converted by the Klump family, Rabbit Run Theater opened in 1946. In its early years, Rabbit Run operated as a professional summer stock theater and many well-known actors such as Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, Jim Backus, Dustin Hoffman, Charles Grodin, and Sandy Dennis graced its boards. Sadly, the theater closed in 1967 and remained dark until 1979 when a group of local theater lovers reopened the “barn” as a community theater. Rabbit Run Theater is one of only a few converted barn theaters still in operation today.