The 3nd in a series of articles for the 175th Anniversary of Bonham
Bonham, Texas -- The Steger Opera House was one of the venues of entertainment and culture in Bonham from 1890 to 1920.
It was located on east side of North Center and 6th Street. A Texas Historical Marker is at its former location.
Although the few old photos we have of its exterior are not impressive, the interior must have been so. The interior is described in The Era is Gone, but Memories Linger On as follows:
“The Opera House was a lovely place to go. There were elevated seats arranged in a half circle and two box seats at the ends of the stage, on the north and south. The stage faced west. There were rows of seats in the center, and the orchestra pit was in front of the stage. The box seats had beautiful red drapes. . . There was a large balcony upstairs called the ‘buzzards roost.’”
Ed Steger and his brother Virge brought road shows to the Opera House. The first play to be presented was A School for Scandal.
Stage settings came on the train and were transported from Depot. This amazing photo from the Bonham News shows the stage and the scenery for a performance in 1906.
There were serious dramas staged, such as Hamlet, Macbeth and Richard III.
There were many comedies and musicals.
There were also addresses by well-known personalities, such as William Jennings Bryan and Cole Younger in 1909.
In the 1920 the Steger’s sold the building and it was turned into a movie theatre, as the tastes in entertainment changed.
And thus the venue which was the Broadway of New York, the vaudeville of Chicago and the entertainment center of the citizens of Bonham was no more.
The Fannin County Museum of History has many beautiful items from the socially elite women of Bonham, including these opera glasses.
