Book Description

When the Civil War ended, the railroad companies almost immediately began to lay new tracks. This was especially true in the northeast corner of Texas for these lines branched west toward Dallas, south to the Gulf of Mexico, and southeast to the Deep South states. From there, the railroads traversed the East Coast back to New York and other cities that were the homes for touring theatrical companies. There were quite a few towns that were happy to welcome the railroads and the businesses that soon followed. Five Texan towns whose newspapers recorded this business growth were Texarkana, Pittsburg, Jefferson, Longview, and Marshall. These five towns also had citizens who appreciated theater and were eager to be entertained by traveling acting companies. The playhouses in some cases were makeshift, but this did not deter the audiences from patronizing shows that ran the gamut from a family of bell ringers to the great artistry of Shakespeare. There is not a complete listing of the performances in the aforementioned towns, but there are enough newspaper critiques to inform us that several hundred varied entertainments were performed in this area. It is interesting to read between the lines of these and realize the erudition of the newspaper reviewers. As a result of their knowledge, the audiences were made aware of whether the acting companies were good, bad, or a total waste of ones time and money.