By Clint Alley

Lawrence County has 13 properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. To introduce you to the history of these properties, I will publish a series of short articles about each place, using information from the official National Register of Historic Places nomination forms.

Opening Night

The projectionist on opening night, Walter L. “Bud” Young, wrote the name and date of the first movie showing on the back of a piece of cardboard. Image source: Iceposter.com

Named for Lawrenceburg city father and American hero David Crockett, Crockett Theater opened its doors to the public on September 13, 1950. At that time, it could seat around 1,200 people, dwarfing the 500-seat capacity of the older Princess Theater on the Square. The first movie shown in Crockett Theater that night was And Baby Makes Three, starring Robert Young and Barbara Hale.

The theater was significant not only because of its glamorous Art Deco facade, but also because it was the first movie theater in Lawrence County which showed movies seven days a week–Sunday movies were scheduled to begin only after morning worship services were over. But, in addition to movies, a variety of entertainers performed on the multi-purpose stage at Crockett Theater, including the Carter Family and Little Jimmy Dickens.

Separate, But Not Equal 

Crockett Theater was originally racially segregated, as were all public businesses at the time of its construction. The only remnants of that period of the building’s history today is the old entrance once used by African-Americans, a set of large, plain, wooden double doors which are situated to the south of the ticket booth and lead to the balcony, the back part of which was reserved for African-American seating before integration.

The ‘colored’ section of Crockett Theater was originally intended to have segregated bathrooms, but the fixtures for the sinks and toilets were never installed, meaning that, before integration, the few African-Americans who attended the movies at Crockett Theater had to walk to a service station down the street to use the bathroom.

End of an Era

Crockett Theater is still used as an entertainment complex. Image source: Tennessee Department of Tourism Development

After the opening of Crockett Cinemas in 1985, Crockett Theater ceased to be a movie theater. The building was purchased by the City of Lawrenceburg in 1986. The theater is significant not only because of its cultural importance, but also because it is one of the only Art Deco theaters in Middle Tennessee to have largely preserved the interior elements of its design. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 29, 1997.[1]

Sources

National Register of Historic Places, Crockett Theater, Lawrenceburg, Lawrence, Tennessee, National Register  #97000804.