Welcome to the beautiful Fulton Opera House. Scores of legendary people have graced the Fulton's stage, and it is believed that more than one ghost haunts its lush Victorian interior. A signifigant player in America's theatrical heritage, the Fulton is one of the oldest continuously operating theatres in the United States today.

The Fulton dates back to 1852 when Christopher Hager, a Lancaster business and civic leader, sought a community hall for "concerts and musical entertainments, lectures and various other assemblies."

The North Prince Street area, where the city's old, pre-Revolutionary jail stood, was selected as the site for the building. Reuctantly, Hager had the stone prison razed. Only the rear foundation wall was left intact, perhaps in tribute to the last of the Conestoga Indians who were massacred there in 1763, by a frontier vigilante gang known as the "Paxtang Boys."

When it was completed, the four-story Fulton Hall was the finest and largest building of its kind in Pennsylvania. In performances to come, audiences did not seem to mind the smoke and powder drifting down on them from the fourth floor shooting gallery, or the persuasive odor of fertilizer and tobacco stored in the basement.

In 1873, Fulton Hall underwent its first of two drastic renovations. Under the guidance of Edwin Forrest Durang, premier theatrical architect and descendant of John Durang (America's first actor and Lancaster native), the Fulton was completely remodeled into a "modern opera house." The hall became a theatre.

In 1904, the Fulton was renovated again in response to the needs of "vaudville management." The second balcony was added, furnished with pews rather than theatrical chairs, so as many people as possible could be crammed into the "cheap seats."

In the 1920's, "talkies" brought huge crowds to feature-length films, spelling the end to vaudville forever. Showing movies during the depression and World War II kept the Fulton's doors open, but by the early 1960's the "Grand Old Lady of Prince Street" had sadly deteriorated. It was at that time that many American theatres met with the wrecking ball.

If not for a group of community leaders who teamed up to rescue the Fulton, it is likely that the theatre would have been demolished. In 1963, the theatre's not-for-profit foundation was formed, and the board of directors worked to raise the funds to save the theatre. In 1969, the Fulton Opera House was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Today the Fulton is the community's premier performing arts center. The theatre produces the region's professional (Actor's Equity Association) theatre series, the Theatre For Young Audiences Touring production-reaching over 30,000 children a year-while presenting music and other events. It also serves as the performance home for various community organizations. In addition to producing and presenting cultural events, the not-for-profit institution preserves and maintains the theatre for all to enjoy.