The Husking Bee at Learned's Opera House
Port Townsend society gathers for a successful amateur performance to benefit the Seamen's Bethel.
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Thanksgiving week was marked by several important society events in Port Townsend. Wednesday was a day long to be remembered in social circles, it being on that evening 'The Husking Bee' was produced at Learned's opera house for the benefit of the Seamen's Bethel. The 'four hundred' attended in force and long before the curtain went up standing room was at a premium. Being without a plot or thread to work on, 'The Husking Bee' taxed the well-known ability of the participants, but in every case they more than fulfilled the fondest expectations of their friends. Honors among the gentlemen went easily to Mr. Brookes, and Miss Pillep carried off the palm among the ladies. The bethel realized $165 from the production.
“The 'four hundred' attended in force and long before the curtain went up standing room was at a premium.”
Learned’s Opera House, a centerpiece of Port Townsend's Victorian era, evokes a time when small-town amateur theater was the primary source of community social capital. Such venues were vital for civic fundraising before the centralization of charity.
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