Silvercreek Township in Jamestown in Greene County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Opera House

Jamestown, Ohio

— Dedicated on December 31st, 1889, January 1st and 2nd, 1890 —

The Opera House Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 27, 2024

1. The Opera House Marker

Inscription. The Opera House of Late Victorian Architecture was built in 1889 by Jamestown Village and Silvercreek Township. After recovering from the 1884 cyclone, Jamestown became a thriving community served by the Detroit Toledo & Ironton Railroad. Realizing the need for a centralized meeting place, the township and village purchased lot No. 12 on the corner of N. Limestone and E. Xenia Streets. With John W. McLean as architect, Matthew Moorman & Sons' low bid of $11,454.00 won the building contract. Work began on June 12, 1889 and was completed in December. The Opera House was the center of community activities until the Silvercreek Centralized School opened in 1937. The upstairs auditorium hosted school functions, church services, music concerts, education seminars, sound and silent movies (with piano accompaniment by area residents), and traveling medicine shows. At various times the downstairs housed government offices, a shoe factory, a gun shop, barbershop, post office, police station, jail fire department and library.

Silvercreek Township became the sole owner of the building in January, 2001.

The renovation effort is supported by the Silvercreek Township Trustees, Jamestown Area Historical Society, Greene County Commissioners, Greeneview Alumni Association, area businesses and service organizations,

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generous donors and the Ohio Arts & Sports Facilities Commission.

State of Ohio
Bob Taft, Governor • Doug White, President of the Ohio Senate • Larry Householder, Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives • Senator Steve Austria • Representative Merle Kearns

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is December 31, 1889.

Location. 39° 39.544′ N, 83° 44.08′ W. Marker is in Jamestown, Ohio, in Greene County. It is in Silvercreek Township. It is at the intersection of North Limestone Street (Ohio Route 72) and East Xenia Street, on the right when traveling north on North Limestone Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 19 N Limestone St, Jamestown OH 45335, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Dayton Metro

and in the Miami Valley.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Wickersham House (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Silvercreek Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Old Silvercreek Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Pioneer Achievements (approx. 3.4 miles away); Ballard Road Covered Bridge (approx. 4½ miles away); Ballard Road Bridge

National Register of Historic Places Plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 27, 2024

2. National Register of Historic Places Plaque

(approx. 4½ miles away); Bowersville (approx. 5.2 miles away); a different marker also named Bowersville (approx. 5.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jamestown.

Also see . . .
1. Opera House History (PDF). On April 27, 1884, Jamestown suffered a devastating “cyclone” which damaged or completely destroyed practically every structure in the village. By 1889, Jamestown had for the most part recovered and had again become a thriving community of agricultural and commercial business activities. Elected officials began to see the need for a centralized meeting place so during the March 23, 1889 election, residents approved a $15,000 levy to build such a structure. (Jamestown Opera House) (Submitted on June 19, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Jamestown Opera House (PDF). National Register nomination for the building, which was listed in 2007. (Prepared by Ted Sesslar, Jamestown Area Historical Society; and Lisa Rupple. Ohio Historic Preservation Office; via National Archives) (Submitted on June 19, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 27, 2024

3. The Opera House Marker

Featured marker is right of the center set of doors. The National Register plaque is at the right corner of the building.

Photographed by Craig Doda, March 15, 2025

4. The Opera House Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on April 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 19, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 376 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 19, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 4. submitted on March 17, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.