The Wilder Museum of Warren County History, 51 Erie Ave., Irvine, will be open for the last day this season in celebration of Rouse Heritage Day from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6.
The newest addition to Warren County's artifact collection is available for viewing. According to managing director Michelle Gray, "the Grandin Opera House piano was delivered last week by volunteers Rodger and Chad Shattuck from Drake Well Museum in Titusville. This piano is a beautiful piece of history, and the Drake Well Museum could no longer accommodate the necessary exhibit space, so earlier in the spring the paperwork began to bring the piano home to its original Warren County roots."
The Grandin Opera House was located in Tidioute, and from its opening in 1872, was considered "the finest of the kind in the oil region." Many notable speakers appeared at the Grandin Opera House, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the notorious Ben Hogan. However, the opera house was known more for its theatrical performers, such as Laura Keene. It was Laura Keene's acting company that was performing at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., when John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. After President Lincoln was shot, Keene entered the presidential box and cradled Lincoln's head in her lap. The actress made her final debut on the stage of the Grandin Opera House in 1873.
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Grand Piano
For more information, visit warrenhistory.org or call 723-1795.