The Newberry Opera House: Music and More for 142 Years

In this installment of ‘History Off the Beaten Path,’ we visit a tiny, rural South Carolina opera house, where performers still take the stage.  

The Newberry Opera House is one of the American South's treasures. Plays, musicals, performances, and events have happened here for over a century. Deena Bouknight

While driving on Interstate 26 heading west from Charleston, South Carolina, I noticed a highway sign indicating that a historic opera house existed in Newberry. Curious, I jumped off the interstate and was taken to a quiet residential street of charming antebellum homes, picket fences, and manicured landscapes. The street flowed into the pristine, serene town of Newberry, South Carolina, established in the late 1700s.

The exterior signage of the Newberry Opera House has welcomed visitors for over 15 decades. Deena Bouknight