The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-17

4 OF "KIng Richard Ill" Their perform
ance was in the new playhouse on
Waller Street.-The house they them
selves erected. Hard 1t was in those
! days that travelling company had
/ first to build a house in which to
performl
| First tho managers OF the company
--Charleses Somerset Woodhan. Walter
| Murry and Thomas Kear--secured Pas
session of two lots on the eastern side
| of Waller Street, lots marked on the
| old map Il and %. Waller is a cross
street in the EASTERN part OF the city,
| Just back Of the old Capitol site. The
| territory through which 1t passes was
at that time really outside OF the city
| limits and was not added to the city
until five years later The deed maxi
ing over the lots to the company, now
among the York county records. is
dated September 2. 1851, and IS made
to Alexander Finnie, proprietor of the
famous Raleigh Tavern, who was act
Ing as agent for the company. Upon
tho lots the company erected the Sec
ond theatre--"a homely wooden str,ic-
ture resembling. tobacco barn" In
this structure the New York comedians
awoke the dramatic art in Williams.
burg in 1851, leading off with 'King
Richard III" One year later that
man who for half century was
Americas leading star, made his de-
but, Lewis Hallan. But before fol-
lowing the fortunes of this playhouse
1t were well that we first follow those
of the other. The. different numbers
of the Gazette enable lis very readily
to follow them.
Mr.. Stage. the first Williamsburg
star, died in. 1875, and his wife. SUR
h liza fr~ 81, c -
then kept up a livelihood by conduct
ing dancing schools in williamsburg
III fortune compelled Mr.. Livingston
in 1871 TO mortgage the lots on which
the theatre stood to DR.. Archibald
Blair for 500 years--the early Vir-
GINA aristocrats indeed dreamed OF
Williamsburg lasting forever! AS
Livingston defaulted payment, John
Blair. executor of Archibald Blair, on
February 90 1875. conveyed the
theatrical property to Or. George Gil
mer for fl55. And he for ESQ sold the
theatre building alone to a stock
company" The other property, the
lots and the residence adjoining the
playhouse, DR.. Gilmer sold to Thomas
Knox. and he in 1864 passed them on |
to John Tazewel1
AS to what fold talents the stock
company, which was composed of
"thirty-one of the first men of the
Colony" made of their enterprise we
know little, for there were no Gazettes
at this time and for several years.
However, an old record OF the date
1855. states that the theatre had not
been put to any use for several years"
so that year the gentlemen sub
scrbers for the playhouse gave the
theatre building to the city to be used
as town hall. Prior to that time
James City County Courthouse had
been used as town hall Thus be-
came the first theatre hall of jus
tice, and for twenty-five years was
used as such.
But In 1710 when James city county |
and the city of Williamsburg erected
Jointly a courthouse--the present one,
which stands on Courthouse Green
the city had no longer any use to make
of the theatre building. SO Mayor,
Recorder, Aldermen and Commoni
Councir sold to John Tazewell the
city's interest in the lots "whereupon
the playhouse stood Tazowell was
now owner of the entire property, |
whereupon the playhouse stood" says
the old record. for soon after the city |