Palace Theatre

The building housing the town’s original theater was built in 1909. Braswell and Keaton opened the Victoria Theatre in 1919 operating there until February of 1928 likely at end of leasing agreement. A tent theatre was used in the hot summer months indicating underwhelming ventilation.

The theater moved here to a new location and was known on paper as the “New Victoria.” Designed for year-round service with air conditioning, owner Alvin Chapman renamed the project as the Joy Theatre. It opened on Thanksgiving Day 1928 with “Moran of the Marines.” It installed a Duplex Reproduce Pipe Organ to provide music. Chapman closed May 25, 1929 unable to convert to sound. Under new operator D.N. Watley, it reopened with sound as the New Joy Theater on August 2, 1929. He closed on June 5, 1930.

R.L. Bailey relit the venue as the Bailey Theatre on December 25, 1930. C & C Entertainment took on the venue with a 10-year leasing agreement giving it much improved Simplex projection and Western Electric Sound under its new name of the Palace Theatre on June 1, 1937.

The Palace Theatre closed February 13, 1947. The building was demolished as the town would get its final, new build theater. A new bus station was proposed (but wasn’t constructed) with a New Palace - a streamline moderne movie house, being built. The New Palace was renamed as the Venus Theatre opening on January 30, 1948 and lasting until 1970. It has its own entry.

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