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Submitted: 12/19/15 • Approved: 12/19/15 • Last Updated: 3/27/18 • R780483-G780482-S3
Carrie
1862 - 1942
John Mason
1854 - 1914
Carrie (Miller) Kennedy was the daughter of Valentine and Margaret (Class) Miller who came to Adair County, Missouri, from Illinois in 1880. The Millers were wealthy entrepreneurs in the City of Kirksville, Missouri, having a retail lumber yard and construction business. They built a spectacular home at 415 N. Franklin Street, close to downtown Kirksville. Carrie's brother, Charles V. Miller, built a large 3-story apartment and business complex near the center of Kirksville in 1921 called the Miller Building. Her family partnered with her sister's husband, Clarence J. Baxter, in building the large Baxter-Miller Building which was another 3-story apartment building with shops on the first floor, located on the northeast corner of the town square.
In 1883, Carrie married John Mason Kennedy, a prominent businessman in Kirksville. He had a grain and implement business a block west of the courthouse, and he established the first telephone system in Kirksville which was eventually sold to the Bell Telephone Company.
Carrie and John Kennedy had one son, Sam M. Kennedy, born in 1889. After John died in 1914, Carrie and son Sam financed a half-million dollar business venture for a theater/opera house, called the Kennedy Theater, in the second block south of the Kirksville square on Elson Street. It was billed as "North Missouri's Finest Theater," and was said to be the most elegant play house in the state, fashioned after theaters in Kansas City and St. Louis. It was a large brick building covering half a city block, with distinct architecture inside and out. The front was a two-story building which contained four or five store fronts for shops, and the upstairs had city flats, called the Kennedy Apartments. The theater part of the building was three stories tall. This was located only one block west of Carrie's brother's Miller Building. By this time, the Miller/Kennedy/Baxter family owned a large part of Kirksville.
The theater had a 50 foot high dome ceiling. The stage featured two Juliet balconies on the sides. Ornate designs of cherubs and carved moldings adorned the walls. The outside of the building was surrounded by lampposts, and the front west entrance featured a large marquee made in France. The north side of the building contained several doors under a large awning whereby guests could quickly exit all at one time and be picked up without exposure to the weather.
The sloping playhouse patron floor featured leather connecting seats with metal trim. A wide staircase led to the balcony seating area. In all, it could accommodate over 1000 people who were shown to their seats by ushers in tuxedos. The stage was equipped with state of the art lighting, draperies, and props. In front of the stage was a pit large enough for a 15-piece orchestra.
Behind the stage there was a $25,000 Robert Morton Organ, and a $10,000 Biophone system for talking, singing, and sound. The Kennedys brought in the best entertainment of the day, plays, road shows, vaudeville acts, and music.
This magnificent theater opened its first season on March 26, 1926 with the play "Let's Get Married," starring Richard Dix and a three-act vaudeville show. The theater offered entertainment produced locally as well as nationally. They once hosted a Charleston Dance Contest which lasted four days. Dance recitals were held here and school plays, as well as performances by many other community groups. The Osteopathic Medical School founded in 1892 by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still in Kirksville, used this stage for its graduation ceremonies.
Around the corner from the theater was a place called the Kennedy Inn, an eating establishment. Little is know about this place, but it was undoubtedly also owned by the Kennedy family.
The Kennedy Theater was eventually sold to Fox Interests and it became primarily a motion picture theater. It was an enduring and vital part of Kirksville for over 60 years. Generations of people have fond memories and tales to tell of being at the Kennedy. Thousands of kids saw cartoons and cowboy movies on Saturday mornings at the Kennedy. Local grocery stores sponsored free admission with a receipt from their store. Sadly, the entire building was torn down in 1992 for a bank parking lot, amid furious protests by Kirksville citizens.
- Written by Blytha Ellis (2013), with information from personal knowledge and from The Chariton Collector, a local magazine written by Kirksville High School students.
Parents:
Valentine Miller (1832 - 1925)
Margaret Class Miller (1834 - 1922)
Photo contributed by Larry and Susan Olson lolson60@cableone.net
Contributed on 12/19/15 by hawkinsdonna48
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Record #: 780483