The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-02-13

"Once upon q time'-how truly ex-
pressive and appropriate is the appel
alton when applied to the annals of
i Pensacola's theatrical yesterday. What
| delight must. come to those few of
! our living elders, whose flight of
| memory recurs to the latter SOS and
early '70's, when travelling players
after arduous and tempestucus Jour
| neys, arrived at this little town, for
heir respective first times, to enter
ain with their arts and thespianic at
tributes. And here let it be indited in
| indellible letters of proof and fact.
| that Pensacola has had within her
gates as visitors, and treated with
hospitality nearly every great artist
appearing on the American stage.
perhaps the exception of the elder
i Sothern, Madame Adelina Patti, Edwin
/ Booth, Charlotte Cushman and Mau-
rice Barrymore, assuring that such
| boast cGa not be maintained by IS
per cent of all cities of this glorious
republic.
Come with me to a spot on East
| Intendencia street. just east Of the
/ present Greenblat store. Here in the
| latter SOS stood the old structure
/ KNOWN 10 many as Tie NOLiSS
| house" To this old building wendell
| amusement lovers of yesterday, to-
| witness perhaps the first theatrical
! performance Pensacola chronicles re-
veal. Rough planks hastily strung
| together at the north end Of the ware
house served asf stage and offered
the opportunity for John Templeton
and his family, which included the
| famous Fay Templeton, famous We
| Der and Fields star, and now happily
retired in marriage to a wealthy
/ Pittsburgh merchant. John Temple
ton arrived from Cuba in a schooner,
bringing with him the remnants of a
! stranded troupe. Landing in Pensa-
| cola he decided to start again." and
| finding no available theatre. or build
| ing to be used as such, he struck upon
| the coffee warehouse" as the logical
place-and, presto-amongst cotton
/ bales, barrels and boxes, sugar and
| coffee bags, we find our forefathers
applauding Fay Templeton, aged six
/ years, singing "Shoo Fly Don't Bother
! Me- and champagne Charlie" the
prevailing song hits of those days.
! A few years later Uncle Danny"
Brent, who is remembered by many as
one of the most popular men about
: town" at the time we are recording,
/ in a desire to give Pensacola a place
of amusement, singled out the old cot
ton compress that stood at the south
east corner Of Gregory and Tara
coma streets, as a possible building
for a theatre. It was at this time
that Alexander Stoddart, one of Pen
sacola's wealthy and influential citi-
zens had brought out from New York,
a well known artist, Theodore Weber,
whom most Pensacolians remembef.
to decorate his then new mansion on
East Hill. This gave Uncle Danny
an opportunity to secure the services
of Weber to decorate and paint seen
cry for the old compress, which was
afterward dedicated as the Tara gona
theatre" At the 'Tarragona" appear
ed such famous artists as Lawrence
Barrett in "Richelieu." Fanny Daven-
port in Divorce" Thomas Keene in
Richard III" Jim Dougherty, the IA
nous minstrel, Katie Putnam in
, "Fanchou the Cricket" Here also re-
turned in after years John Templeton
and his wife Alice Vane, and little
Fay, who had now grown to be a miss
OIL 10 years OIlC VI lflC OStllNA1tS VI
the day, now living, 7 admits being
turned down" when he invited Miss
Fay to supper at the old Santa Rosa
hotel which stood on the corner OF
jefferson and Government streets,
(where the opera house was afterward
erected). Hers we also pause to men
ton that Lewis Rice, violinist and
musical director with Templeton. re-
signed from the company in Pensa-
cola, and in partnership with Mr..
George Turton, opened a photograph
gallery in the public square, on the
site of the present gold fish fountain
facing Government street.
After the destruction of the Tara
gona theatre, performances were held
at intermittent times in the old
Ynestra building at the southwest cor
ner of Romano and Palafox streets,
!. "McAvoy minstrels' being the most
noted attractions playing this hall.
The Germania hail. formerly stood
on the corner of Zarragossa and JEFF
ferson streets on the site where the
county Jail now stands. Here played
several theatrical attractions. On De-
cember 8, 1882, we note that Wal
lacks Tripologue, headed by Watty
Wallack and J. Rider, played a week
Their first offering was "CarlottS the
Poor Seamstress." Later in the week,
The Irish Heiress" was offered. Let
it be here mentioned also that on
September 90, 1882, George Primrose,
William H. West and George Thatcher, !
the famous minstrel trio, sent $4,000
to Pensacola to aid the fund for the
help of yellow fever sufferers. The
fever was an epidemic at that time.
In the latter part of 1882, Mr. D. f. !
Sullivan had plans drawn for the /
erection of an opera house, at the |
corner of Jefferson and Government
streets. which occupied that site until |