Ordway Hall (est.1852) was a theatre in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

located off Washington Street in the former Province House. John P. Ordway established and managed the hall, which specialized in " negro minstrelsy," particularly the Ordway Aeolians, his own troupe.

History

Ordway Hall opened February 9, 1852. "The Old Province House, in the rear of 165 and 171 Washington-street, has been neatly fitted up for a concert-room, under the name of Ordway Hall. At this comfortable and well-ventilated place of amusement, conducted on the best principles, the 'Aeolians,' under the management of J.P. Ordway, in the double capacity of 'citizens' and 'darkies' give nightly concerts which are well attended." "The whole building was changed in appearance, its interior having been remodeled for the purpose of accommodating a company of ... vocalists. ... The outside was covered with a coat of yellowish mastic." A travel guidebook of 1856 recommended the theatre: "The walls of this old house, that once echoed with kings' decrees, eloquent speeches, and loyal toasts, now ring with the gay laugh, tender songs, and humorous jests of the negro minstrel. The hall ... has become deservedly popular, as order is preserved, and all that may offend banished." "Lon Morris, Billy Morris, and other famous minstrels of the day were in the company, and here it was that P.S. Gilmore, the well-known band-master, began his professional career by playing on the tambourine as an end-man." In 1858, E. Kelly worked as musical director, and James McGee as business manager of the hall. In 1851, the 12-year-old future founder of pedestrianism

Edward Payson Weston Edward Payson Weston (March 15, 1839 – May 12, 1929) was a notable pedestrian, who was largely responsible for the rise in popularity of the sport in the 1860s and 1870s. Biography Edward Payson Weston was born on March 15, 1839, in Providence ...

worked at the hall "selling candies ... during each secular evening." Around 1856, the Parent Washington Total Abstinence Society met weekly in the hall. On September 17, 1856, during the elaborate citywide festivities inaugurating the new statue of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

, "the entrance to Ordway Hall ... was decorated with flags, and a portrait of Franklin." Police arrested a woman at the hall in 1860 "for being in male attire." By 1864, Morris Bros., Pell & Trowbridge occupied the hall. "On Tuesday evening October 25, 1864 a fire gutted the interior, leaving only the walls. The building was then turned into an office building."

Events

* 1853, January – Uncle Tom's Cabin * 1855 – J.B. Donniker & T. Christian * 1858, May –

Buckley's Serenaders Buckley's Serenaders was a family troupe of English-born American blackface minstrels, established under that name in 1853 by James Buckley. They became one of the two most popular companies in the U.S. from the mid-1850s to the 1860s, the ot ...

* 1859, July – George Christy's Minstrels. * 1859, December – Amanda M. Spence, psychic medium * 1861 – Morris Brothers, Pell & Trowbridge's Minstrels * Mr. Gurnet and "the visible spirit Rapping Bell, the Mystic Gold Box, Bottle Feat, Crystal Casket"''Houdini's History of Magic in Boston, 1792–1915''.

History

Events

References

Further reading