Maysville in Mason County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
The Russell Theatre
9 East Third Street
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 4, 2023
1. The Russell Theatre Marker
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
1930
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Entertainment • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is December 4, 1930.
Location. 38° 38.801′ N, 83° 45.875′ W. Marker is in Maysville, Kentucky, in Mason County. It is on East Third Street east of Market Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9 E Third St, Maysville KY 41056, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Kentucky’s Outer Bluegrass. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Ohio River Valley. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Rosemary Clooney (within shouting distance of this marker); Shackleford Residence (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); William G. Kenton (1941-1981) (about 400 feet away); Alanant-O-Wamiowee (about 500 feet away); John Samuel Darrough / Medal of Honor Recipient (about 600 feet away); Stanley Forman Reed (about 600 feet away); Mason County, 1788 (about 700 feet away); Lewis and Clark in Kentucky / John Colter (ca. 1775-1813) (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Maysville.
Regarding The Russell Theatre. Excerpts from the National Register nomination:
In1929, local businessman Col. J.B. Russell envisioned a new kind of theater for Maysville. He built the Russell Theatre as a movie palace for the relatively small town. He articulated his desire for a grand theater, or at least promoted his new enterprise, saying, What the Roxy is to New York, the Russell will be to Maysville.
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He hired the Lexington architectural firm, Frankel and Curtis, to design the movie palace. The theater occupied the site of a former wholesale grocery warehouse on 9 East Third Street. Constructed at a cost of $125,000, the theater was built of steel, concrete, brick and terra cotta.
The Russell opened as an independent theater on December 4, 1930 with the movie Whoopie starring Eddie Cantor.
Also see . . .
1. Russell Theatre. Wikipedia entry:
Links to National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (Submitted on June 25, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Russell Theatre: The Heart of Downtown Maysville. Colonel J. Barbour Russell, a flamboyant, well-known Maysville businessman who made his early fortune in the grocery business, decided to erect a movie palace in downtown Maysville in 1928 to expand his real estate holdings. (Russell Theatre volunteers, for the Cincinnati Preservation Association) (Submitted on March 10, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 4, 2023
2. The Russell Theatre Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 27, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 10, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 256 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 10, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
