Belva Theatre

Ellis County grew to its highest population in 1920 with 55,000 residents and Ennis had reached its Pre-World War II high of over 7,000 residents. The number of farms in the County hit 6,000 - also an all-time high. Cotton was a main driver of the growth and jobs in the cotton fields led to the highest population density of African American residents in Ellis County’s history to almost 25% by 1930. The buying power of the population was reflected in the creation of the Belva Theatre, the town’s only African-American exclusive movie theatre in Ennis' four-theatre marketplace.

The Belva Theatre opened in the silent era during the 1920’s and transitioned to sound. It provided movies and live entertainment for the town’s African-American community. And it appears to be one of just two theatres in the United States ever named, “The Belva”.

Unfortunately, times changed quickly in Depression-era Ellis County. Population growth in the county and town stalled for the better part of three decades. Ennis - once served by an electric Interurban electric rail that offered easy travel to Corsicana and Dallas - was cut off from mass transportation when the line was discontinued prior to World War II. Depression-era financial woes hit the area hard and the African-American population dropped as a result. The Belva Theatre closed early during the Depression. The town downsized to just two theatres - the Grand Theatre and the Plaza Theatre - from the 1930’s until a drive-in was added in the 1950’s.

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