1908 Washington Township Hall, Converted to a Children's Theater
27 N Main St, Centerville, OH 45459
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Ticketed performances; the building itself is also rentable for events.
Access
Wheelchair OK
1908 township hall with an auditorium, stairs to upper spaces.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1908 · 1908 Washington Township Hall · Long-running community children's theater · Stop on the Washington-Centerville Public Library Ghost Walk on Main
The Town Hall Theatre building at 27 N. Main Street in Centerville, Ohio, was constructed in 1908 as Washington Township Hall. According to Wikipedia and Washington Township's own historical pages, the building was used as a meeting space for township trustees and as a venue for graduations, town meetings, and Grange activities. It served as the Washington Township government offices until 1985.
In 1989, the township decided to convert the historic building into a performing-arts center. In 1991, following a series of public hearings, the All Children's Theatre was formed with the assistance of a $5,000 Montgomery County RACD Special Projects Grant. Between 1992 and 1996, the building was renovated to add an auditorium, lobby, rehearsal space, dance studio, and scene shop. The Town Hall Theatre today is operated by the Washington Township recreation department and performs to roughly 20,000 audience members annually with the support of approximately 400 community volunteers.
The Washington-Centerville Public Library hosts an annual Ghost Walk on Main downtown heritage walking tour that includes the Town Hall Theatre as a stop, pairing the building's institutional history with local folklore.
Sources
Folklore at the Town Hall Theatre is relatively low-key compared with the building's busy schedule as a children's theater. According to the Washington-Centerville Public Library's Ghost Walk on Main heritage walking tour, the building is included as a stop with stories of backstage staff and volunteers reporting footsteps in upstairs spaces after hours and the occasional sense of being watched in the auditorium when empty. The reports are framed in the library's program as community-history storytelling rather than as paranormal claims.
The Town Hall Theatre's primary identity is as a children's performing-arts company. Visitors interested in the lore are best served by attending the library's annual fall Ghost Walk on Main, which provides the larger downtown-Centerville context for the building's place in local heritage.
Media Appearances
Attend a Town Hall Theatre production in the 1908 Washington Township Hall in downtown Centerville. The Town Hall Theatre is a Washington Township-operated children's theater company performing for roughly 20,000 audience members annually.
Pair a visit to Town Hall Theatre with the Washington-Centerville Public Library's annual Ghost Walk on Main Street, a heritage walking tour of downtown Centerville's 19th- and early-20th-century buildings.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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