The Legion Theatre Group is an all volunteer theatrical company based in White Haven, Pennsylvania. We are named for White Haven’s historic Legion Theatre which saw its final curtain fall back in 1957. Or perhaps it is just sleeping? Waiting to be reborn. The theatre building (pictured above) survives today, and is serving as the White Haven post office…
Identical view of The Legion Theatre today, in service as the White Haven post office. Compare this image to the vintage postcard above (circa 1940s). The main lobby exit still exists at the left side of the building, as do recessed inserts for “coming attraction” advertisements.
Single screen movie theaters, without parking lots, were once a hub of community and fellowship in small towns. A longtime resident of a house near the Legion Theatre remarks:
“Their movies at one time cost twenty five cents. When we kids walked home in the dark, we passed right by the cemetery. Very eerie on a moonlit night. Other teenagers would hide behind tombstones and jump out to scare us! It was a wonderful time.”
The Legion also boasted a stage for live performances. Some plays were staged there. Today’s Legion Theatre Group is reviving this White Haven tradition in the 21st Century!
Have a memory of White Haven’s Legion Theatre? We would love to hear from you! Contact us here: legiontheatregroup@gmail.com
Time warp! A restored 1928 Reading and Northern steam locomotive passes the (not yet restored) Legion Theatre building in White Haven on September 22nd 2018. No doubt recreating a moment that must have been commonplace during the first half of the last century. Locomotive #425 was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Eddystone, Pennsylvania. White Haven has a rich railroad history which dates back more than 150 years.