Arts, plays, poetry and other forms of expression have been a part of Shinnston's culture for over 100 years. Back in 1889, Charles Ashby Short recognized a need for a community building and built the Short Opera house on Station Street. The building had three floors and the top floors were used by the IOOF Lodge and the Knights of Pythias. The Ground level of the building had an auditorium and was used for traveling shows and by local groups to read poetry and stage plays. At times, churches used the Short Opera House for church functions.
During the time the Short Opera House was used, the town consisted of about 40 homes. Once the railroad arrived in Shinnston in 1890, the town began to expand rapidly. The Short Opera House burned to the ground the night of February 28, 1906. The building was a complete loss.
Motion pictures came to Shinnston in 1908 and since the Short Opera House had burned, there was no place to screen the movies. A temporary screening room was set up in the building that would later become the Princess Theater on Pike Street and music was played on the street to get people's attention.
Charles Short and others decided to build the Shinnston Opera House on Walnut Street in 1908 and this was a public endeavor and shares were sold in the company. Short got the contract to build the building and had a clause placed in the contract that he could choose the first performance to be held in the new building. He went to New York and engaged an acting troupe to perform a musical called The Red Mill. It opened to a full house in 1909. Since electric was available in Shinnston in 1905, The new Shinnston Opera house had flood lights for the stage and beautiful lighting throughout. Charles Baker had the contract to provide electric for the opera house with the minimum bill to be no less than $1.25.
The Shinnston Opera House had an orchestra pit and seating for 470 people. Opera houses lost their appeal as people became owners of automobiles and could travel out of town and no longer had to rely on the trolley cars for transportation. High school graduations moved to the newly built Clay District High School. The opera house became the Rex Theater and the theater burned in 1940 and the interior was rebuilt and opened as a skating rink.
