The Washington herald., 1907-09-15
ACTRESS BUYING UP VILLAGE
Amelia Bingham Realizing Child
hoods Castles in the Air.
Profits from "A Successful Dramatic
Career Invested I'm Hicks
Vile, Ohio.

Few fnunciers would advocate TO the
inquirlng investor the purchase OF real
estate IN an Ohio town OF 1900 inhabi-
tauts. Yet Amelia Bingham, who no.
body has ever accused OF lack Of sound
business judgment. is investing the
profits earned by her successful produc-
t.0ns, The Climbers" "A Modern Mag
dalen." The Frissy Mrs. Johnson, and
The Modern Lady Godiva. in the little
town OF Hioksville. in that State and
hopes ultimately 10 possess every desiTa-
bic acre and property in the place.
Sentiment IS an actuatIng motive IN the
transaction, for H!cksyllle IS her birth
place. But II is sentiment tinged with
the practical Now she manages a thea
ter and a company; then she will direct
manufacturing interests; fer she IS buy
Ing all the available factory sites IN
Hicksville. adding 70 her original modest
investments. which comprised the butcher
shop. the bakery, the general Inerchau-
disc store. the blacksmith shop, the post
Office and half a dozen dwelling houses
HiCksville is the center OF "a farming
community near Toledo. It's streets gre
a succession of modest houses. set well
back In the Old-fashioned flower gar
deus. Tor its inhabitants are ali well
tO-d0." The Wesleyan University. at
Delaware. ONO annually receives q
large number o.. recruits from Hicksville
II was In this college that Amelia Bling
ham received her scholastic training
showing at that time u strong trend TO-
ward literature and painting. arts which
she stiu culuvates assiduously. The fact
that the actress is certain OF c0ugeuial
Companionship and a widespread sym
pathy iu her ideas no doubt influences
her choice Of her native town as "a place
of retirement when that al present far
of day arrives.
Hicksville IS largely a Methodist com
muEity and has loug entertained a pref
udice against the theater But HicksviIe
is also inordiuately proud Of Our
Amelia" as she is effectionately styled.
10 has never recognized any difference be-
tween the tow-headed child who played
about the steps OF the village !nu and
the much-photographed widely discussed
beauty Of the stage. who makes annually
a summer pilgrimage 70 her old home,
still the residence of her mother, broth
ers and sisters.
Where she once bartered pennies Tor
candy, she ROW exchanges bonds fos
building lots, and, as ia the old days
when her childish prettiness won her
many advantages, her keen insight into
the possibilities Of real estate and remem-
brance OF HicksvilIe valuations enables
her 10 drive good bargains. For IL is a
saying in HicBsville that Amelia can do
more things than play acting, She's as
smart IN bricks and dirt as you make
EN-" Her original Hicksville purchase was
made 10 crafty q childish longing 70
have FOR her own the house which had
then represented to her all that was mag
nifcently palatial in a homestead
one summer Miss Bingham paid a long
visit to Hicksvllle. In the ramble around
the village she chanced on her Castle
in the Air" II bore a sign For Sale" "
1t stood in sad need Of repairs. without
and within. Its garden was neglected; its
fence without palings its shutters hung
on one hinge. Miss Bingham made a tour
Of inspection--they never lock the doors
in Hicksville-and the old feeling for the
place stirred In her again. With sudden
resolve she sought the agent, came 10
terms with him, deposited q cash retainer.
and returned 70 her mothers house. bear
ing IN great glee and triumph a deed TO
the property, To her mothers expOstu-
lations she replied: "As a child 7 vowed
that if I ever had the money would
buy that house. I think I should keep
faith with that child
The remaining weeks of her vacation
were spent in repainting. repairing, and
redecOTating. Miss Bingham lending a
hand in the latter labor The town
Chuckled over Our Amelias latest" but
/ before she left she had turned the tables.
The house was taken by a newcomer at
the handsomest rental known in the his
tory Of the real estate world In Hicks
Vile
People no longer laugh at my invest
ments in the dear old home town" said
Miss Bingham when seen in her dressing
room at Ford's Theater, Baltimore, last
week. My yearly rentals form more
/ than a comfortable allowance of pin
money.
When Il comes to laying out money.
Hicksville is a very safe place and that's
more than you can say for a city. Rents
there are moral obligations; to avoid pay
ing the rent would be TO incur social os-
| tracism. There are no pitiable poor in
the village. Every one has sufficient for
his needs
oh, yes; it's a village. Why 1900 in
habitants is all that II ever dared 10
claim, and I believe that know every
man, woman, and child of the lot. You
see I was born there.
"Au my people for generations back
have been born. lived, and died In Hicks
vile, or near by. Ny father was strict
Methodist am still one-and I was
brought up 10 believe that outside Of the
Methodist Church and Sunday school. SAL
walton was not TO be thought Of. I don't
believe that a member OF my immediate
family had ever been TO a theater or had
ever met an actor when I startled them
by suddenly abandoning my early ambi-
tion 70 be a writer Of tales and adoptinp
the stage as my field Of endeayor.
But my mother, sublime In the faith
that the king can do no wrong gave her
consent-when she found that my deter
mination was unalterable. I gave her
my promise that nothing would prevent
my returning home once a year so long
as she lived, and II was the fulhllment Of
that promise which led to my investment
in Hicksville"