The Bell Theatre

Springfield, Oregon

Early days in Springfield, Oregon, provided little entertainment for young or old alike. Shortly after the turn of the twentieth century, the people of Springfield found their fun at local parks, along the McKenzie River, and at their schools, churches, and perhaps the local grange hall. Historical documentation is sketchy at best, about a presence of an opera house back then that might have entertained a small majority of Springfield's citizens. But it wouldn't be until December, 1910, that the general population would have a place to go to be entertained, when the Seavey Building began.

The weekly Springfield News advertised what was showing at the Bell. The moving picture program usually consisted of a news program, a comedy, a thrilling serial, and a short feature (Fogle 10). The Bell was known to show only high-class pictures. A Charlie Chaplin film was shown on opening night (Springfield News, July 1, 1915).

Springfield was mirroring the nation. In the early 1920s, around forty million people were going to the movies each week (Encyclopedia Britannica, brittanica.com). However, at the end of the decade, The Great Depression hit the country. For most of the following decade, the thirties, most people had a hard time just making ends meet, let alone spending good money on entertainment. The Bell Theatre was doomed to failure.

From 1932 until 1936 once again the town of Springfield, Oregon, had no available theatre and little entertainment. During this time citizens of Springfield really had a chance to see what they were missing and to realize how much the Bell had meant to them. The theatre was not only used for entertainment, but also for a place to go if a person were lonely or needed to relieve the day's stress, or if one wanted to relax after a long day of working. This choice was no longer available to them, and they could not deal with that.