One Night Only! Miss Clara Louise Kellogg

According to what I've been able to find in regards to Clara Louise Kellogg, she retired from singing in 1887 which means the playbill pre-dates 1887.  At the bottom it says Union City Times so I'm assuming this was the opening night performance for the new opera house in Union City Tennessee. :)

In addition to Clara Louis Kellog the other members of the company were Miss Carrie Morse, Mr. Henry Dickmann, Mr. William H. Lee and Mr. Charles E. Pratt.  Reserved seats $1.00, on sale at Polk's Drug Store Monday, November 3d.

Clara Louise Kellogg was an American Opera Singer born 1842 in South Carolina.  From an early age she enjoyed singing and playing the piano. The Kellog family moved to Connecticut when she was about five years old and moved again in 1857 to New York where she began studying voice at age 14.  She made her professional debut in Pittsburgh in 1860 as a "utility singer."    The following year she made her first appearance as Gilda in "Rigoletto."  She continued to have a successful career as a soprano travelling back and forth between Europe and the United States.  She married Carl Strakosh in 1886 and the following year retired as a professional singer.  She died May 3 1861 from Cancer in New Hartford, Connecticut.

Dresden Enterprise Apr 24 1896 - The Illustrated Edition Part 22 "The Harper-Detrick Company"

This is the twenty first in a multi-part series featuring the April 24 1896 edition of the Dresden Enterprise.  If you missed the previous posts you can find them here: part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven, part eight, part nine, part ten, part eleven, part twelve, part thirteen, part fourteen, part fifteen, part sixteen, part seventeen, part eighteen, part nineteen, part twenty, part twenty-one.

It was recently pointed out to me that John W. Moran owned an opera house in Dresden.  This was news to us and another interesting fact to add to the family history. 

In 1889 Jonathan B. Jeffery's published a Guide and Directory to the Opera Houses, Theatres, Public Halls, Bill Posters of the Cities and Towns of America.  In addition to listing Moran's Hall we know there were two hotels, a Friday paper, C.B. Travis was the bill poster and the baggage agent was R.D. Hart.

The Harper-Detrick company, under the management of Mr. W.N. Cross, closed a week's engagement at the opera house last Saturday night.  They appear all this week at Martin and next week at Huntingdon.

The engagement of this company in Dresden has been a series of most enjoyable treats for the theater goers and lovers of the dramatic.  The cast is made up of first class talent, and that their work here was thoroughly appreciated was evidenced by their reception each night.

As an emotional actress Miss Harper needs no other recommendation than the tears shed by the audience on the night of her appearance in "East Lynne," when her acting, as Lady Isabel at the deathbed of her son, was so natural that it seemed almost doubtful that it was really acting.  They are all refined, quiet, sociable people, and gained many friends during their stay here.

Manager Cross, while a young man in years, has had a wide experience in the show business, having crossed the continent several times with strong companies, and he seems to thoroughly understand the management of shows.  He states that will book only companies that he knows to be first-class, and for next season the opera house promises to be a source of much pleasure and enjoyment to our citizens.  Mr. Cross will close this season at Martin on the 23 of next month, and at Dresden immediately following that date with a good company in a three night's engagement.

The complete list of links in this multi-part series:

part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven, part eight, part nine, part ten, part eleven, part twelve, part thirteen, part fourteen, part fifteen, part sixteen, part seventeen, part eighteen, part nineteen, part twenty, part twenty-one, part twenty-two, part twenty-three.