Rhodes Opera House Fire Historical Marker

This historical marker commemorates one of America's deadliest fires which occurred here on January 13, 1908, at Rhoads Opera House. The fire originated with a lamp that was accidentally knocked over, starting a fire that left 171 people dead. Theater attendees attempted to escape from the two big doors at the entrance, but these doors only opened outward and one of the doors was locked which reduced the number of people who could escape. Rhoads Opera House stereopticon operator Harry Fisher and the owner Dr. Thomas J.B. Rhoads were charged with criminal negligence.   

The Opera House was built in 1885 by Thomas Rhoads, a businessman and physician. The three story brick commercial building held a hardware store and bank within the first floor of the building. On the second floor, there were meeting rooms and offices, and an auditorium. On the evening of January 13, 1908, around three hundred theatergoers and fifty actors were all gathered at the Rhoads Opera House for the opening night of the production, “The Scottish Reformation.”

While recovery began after the fire, crews discovered bodies piled about six feet deep at the top of the stairway. Due to the overwhelming number of bodies, three makeshift morgues surrounded the building all while the remaining town kept trying to identify the victims and cope with the unforeseen loss of life. Local schools were closed for three weeks and converted into morgues. The dead included three teachers and 23 students. The incident led Pennsylvania’s legislature to pass legal standards for doors, landings, lighting, curtains, fire extinguishers, aisles, and marked exits. After the destruction of the original building, the current building was completed about two years later.

Pearson, Samantha. “Trapped in the Third Act: The Rhoads Opera House Fire, Boyertown 1908: Pennsylvania Center for the Book.” Trapped in the Third Act: The Rhoads Opera House Fire, Boyertown 1908 | Pennsylvania Center for the Book, https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/feature-articles/trapped-third-act-rhoads-opera-house-fire. 

“Rhoads Opera House Fire: Legacy of a Tragedy.” WFMZ.com, 8 Jan. 2020, https://www.wfmz.com/rhoads-opera-house-fire-legacy-of-a-tragedy/video_5aad55bc-318c-11ea-9d9d-f78a90c5054d.html. Accessed 11 July 2022. 

“Rhoads Opera House Fire Historical Marker.” Explorepahistory.com, https://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-147. 

Reporter, Dick Wanner. “A Small Town That's Big in Automotive History.” Lancaster Farming, 14 Mar. 2015, https://www.lancasterfarming.com/news/main_edition/a-small-town-that-s-big-in-automotive-history/article_98e1283a-05dc-5bd6-818d-3f78f6bf1aa1.html.