Special Trains Once Ran to Columbus for Show Nights

Cattleman R. E. Stafford built the opera house at 435 Spring Street in 1886. Architect N. J. Clayton designed it as a substantial room for a substantial audience. The theater held 1,000 seats beneath gas-burning chandeliers and an elaborate hand-painted curtain.

The opening performance was "As in a Looking Glass," starring Lillian Russell. Houdini later appeared on the same stage, along with other touring entertainers. Columbus was part of a larger show circuit even though it remained a small county seat.

The audience came from beyond Columbus too. On performance days, special trains ran from distant towns. A night at the theater began with passengers stepping off the train, then walking into a Spring Street room large enough to gather a regional crowd.

Stafford also built his ornate house next door at 423 Spring Street in 1886. The house was positioned so he could sit in his bedroom and see the opera-house stage. Both buildings carry Recorded Texas Historic Landmark status, and that bedroom sightline may be the clearest measure of how much Stafford liked a show.