| Fife Opera House |
| Palestine Illinois |
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| The Fife Opera House is located in historic, downtown Palestine Illinois. The building is owned by the Palestine Preservation Projects Society, which was organized in 1988 to preserve the history of the area. The opera house is listed as an Illinois Historical Site and it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, since 1990. Palestine is said to be the oldest white settlement in the state and is home to many haunted and historic buildings and locations. My team and I have found the opera house to be one of the most active locations in Crawford County and have conducted multiple investigations of the building. There are many possibilities as to why the opera house is such a haunted location. It has a long, rich history which also includes a tragic event! The first opera house was across the street from the current day Fife Opera House. It was located on the SW corner of S Main Street and Grand Prairie. A Civil War veteran by the name of Robert Plunkett built the first opera house in town and it was in operation from around 1891 - 1898. It was built using bricks from a clay pit south of Palestine. The building had a raked floor and only benches for seating the audience. Mr. Plunkett was also the first person in the town of Palestine to own an automobile and was a very respected man. In 1893, David Fife, Ira Buzzard, and George Dickinson, which were all brothers-in-law, purchased the building across the street from the first opera house. The building was the old Rising Sun Tavern, formally known as Wilson's Tavern. In its day, the tavern was a popular place. "It is said that many fine parties were held in the tavern and young gentlemen and their ladies in party attire would arrive in fine buggies and dance until the early morning hours." David then bought the others out in 1894, and turned the old Rising Sun Tavern building into a hardware, harness shop, and implement store. On the top floor of the building was the Palestine News, a newspaper at the time. It was owned by Ira Buzzard and edited by John W. Adams. The Palestine News was located in the rear section over the Fife Hardware Store. This section had been the old Hunter Garrard Hotel. David Fife decided, in 1898, that the building was too small and had the building torn down and started building the Fife Opera House that remains to the present day. It was under construction from 1898 - 1901. The brick used for the building was brought in from Bloomfield and Linton Indiana, and also from Hutsonville, Illinois. The oak and poplar lumber was from the Fife farm, approximately 3 miles southwest of Palestine. For financial reasons the first floor of the building was finished first so Fife's Hardware Store could open. The opera house, or auditorium, located on the second floor was not completed until 1901. There was a generating plant built for electricity on the site directly north and across the railroad, one half a block east of the Reinbold Mill. The plant only made electricity at night, and just before quitting each night the lights would dim as a warning the power would be stopped. On opening night, May 21, 1901, according to the diary of Mrs. Ola Taylor, "David Fife turned his lights on at the opera house tonight and caused all the other ones to go out in town!" David was not only in the entertainment industry but also used the building for two other businesses he owned. A hardware store downstairs and a funeral business that was ran from the second floor in the rooms directly behind where the auditorium is located. David Fife was a graduate of Garvin Commercial College in Terre Haute, Indiana and from the Indianapolis School of Embalming. His embalming renewal certificate dated 1901, is still on display to this day in the downstairs room that was the hardware store. In 1926, Jim Ethan Goodwine came to Palestine to work with David Fife in the funeral business. He also worked in the hardware store below. Jim purchased the funeral business from David later that year, with help from his father. It was then renamed Goodwine and Goodwine. A tragic event took place in the opera house in 1935. Harold A. Fife, nephew of David, commited suicide. He shot himself in the mortuary of the opera house while supposably talking on the phone. My team and I are still doing reasearch to determine if there was a phone installed in that room during 1935 and the reason why Harold shot himself. David Fife passed away in 1942, and left his widow, Alta M. Fife, to run the hardware store. The building was used for other businesses after his death. A factory that made paper flowers rented the auditorium space in 1946. From 1947 - 1952 a factory that carded bobby pins, and wound transformers used the space. Many of the local Palestine residents recall working there. In 1951, Kent Phillips and Jim Ethan Goodwine formed a partnership and purchased the furniture and hardware store from Alta M. Fife and not long after that, Jim bought out Kent's share. He later used the auditorium space to store new and used furniture. James Moreland Goodwine (Jimmy) joined his father's business in 1957, and in 1980 purchased the business from his father. The Palestine Preservation Projects Society purchased the building in 1989 from James M. Goodwine and is currently in the process of trying to restore the David Fife Opera House. The Fife Opera House has four levels: a ground level floor, a second story, a third floor or attic, and a basement. The first floor has several rooms, two of them still being used to this day for public events. One of them being the room where the Fife Hardware store was located. In the corner of the second room stands a reminder of past, the original double doors from the old Rising Sun Tavern. The tavern was the first building to sit on the site of where the present day opera house is located. This room also has a set of doors leading to the lounge, kitchen, rest rooms, and the gold room. These rooms were built as offices during the time Goodwine's had their furniture store there. In another room to the south, stands a large doorway leading to the outside. This doorway was built so a hearse, or truck, could pull in from the street. An old hand operated elevator, now electrified, is located very close to this door and was used for everything from hauling caskets upstairs, to stage props, and even a horse for the final play that took place at the opera house! This elevator has been in constant use since 1900. On the second floor the auditorium, embalming room, casket display room, bathroooms, and a storage room can be found. The storage room wall was made from the wood of the casket crates that were no longer needed. The casket display room could display 28 caskets. A small casket is still located in this room today. The auditorium which could seat 400 or 700 people (there is a debate on which number is correct) still has the original curtain hanging half way to the floor, which kept the back stage area hidden from view by the audience. There are still several seats off to the side in the auditorium and we are not sure if any of them are original or not. The original seats were red leather and were arranged in a middle section and two side sections. The curtain was painted by the Sosman and Landes Co. of Chicago and is very fragile. The PPPS is working on getting the curtain restored. There is a set of stairs leading from the auditorium down to Main Street where people would get their tickets for the shows. The ticket office was located downstairs just inside the door of the north room. The third floor, or attic, is mostly used for storage today and was used to store costumes, props, and scenery during the opera house years. The orchestra pit railing has been found in the attic along with many of the store fixtures, cabinets, and shelves. In the NE corner of the basement, the limestone foundation of the Old Rising Sun Tavern can still be seen. The opera house was heated with a coal furnace that was located in the basement. Small pieces of coal are still present in the dark basement. The basement has a dirt floor and in one corner there still remains a crate with David Fife's name on it. The Fife Opera House was the main center for entertainment in the area during its day and was host to many different plays, talent shows, and band concerts. Some of the more notable performances that took place in the opera house were: They Want Me, which was the opening night show on September 18, 1901; Vendetta; Dr. Jekkyll and Mr. Hyde; and Folks Up Willow Creek. The last play that took place in the opera house was Queen Esther in May, 1912. The admission was usually 35 cents but they charged 50 cents for the last play and the proceeds for the play were used to purchase a wrought-iron fence for the local cemetery. The Starnes Company also appeared there, father of John Lawrence Tent Show, which gave Red Skelton and Phil Harris a start. |
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| We would like to give a special thanks to Phyllis Moraga, Polly Rapp, and all the other members of the Palestine Preservation Projects Society for help with historical information and continuing to let my team and I investigate the Fife Opera House! |
| (C) Copyright 2004 by Jason Snider. All Rights Reserved. |
| The Palestine Preservation Projects Society is currently in the process of restoring the Fife Opera House. If you would like to make a donation toward the restoration effort send donations to: |
| Fife Opera House 123 South Main Street Palestine, Illinois 62451 |