Wordless Wednesday: Opera House in Fairmount

I love taking pictures of textures. I like the differences between light and dark, new and old, and the way brick or paper or glass can look under the right conditions. The owner of Hi Fi Stereo Shop, Indiana’s oldest record store, showed me the sites all over downtown Fairmount, Indiana. Who would have guessed that an opera house was hiding above an auto parts store? I certainly didn’t. But what a fantastic surprise!

The old Scott Opera House was one of my favorite visits that day in Fairmount, Indiana. Built in 1884, its stage once held James Whitcomb Riley. He sure made the rounds! Remember Delphi, Indiana? Now, however, the stage of the once grand Scott Opera House is gone. The seats, too. Some even say it is haunted! That phantoms roam, making lights flick on and off and even locking doors.

I can see the glimmers of what it must have been. Can you? Try to look beyond the crumbling brick and faded wallpaper. See past the old boards and scattered remnants. Imagine when it was new and exciting and packed with people anxious to see the latest show! It hurts my heart. I hope that someday, someone will turn it back into a stunning usable space before it is too late.