131 West German St., Shepherdstown, WV, 25443
Jefferson County
304-876-3704
https://www.facebook.com/operahouselive
Built in 1910 by Upton S. Martin Sr., a multi-talented businessman and six-term mayor, the Shepherdstown Opera House has always been a hub of town culture. Early on, the local police department would bring in a hand-cranked projector to show pictures and locals would use the floor for dances. Soon after its opening, management of the theater passed to Clifford Musser and his wife Ada, who lived above the theater. In addition to running the theater on the main level, Mr. Musser used the uppermost levels of the building to print The Independent newspaper until 1974. Under the Mussers, additions such as a projector booth in the balcony and improved electricity allowed the Opera House theater to show movies more regularly and add sound to the experience. Musser purchased the theater in 1926 and continued hosting movies and shows there until closing in 1957 due to growing competition from modern theaters.
The Musser family continued to live at the Opera House until the early 1980s, after which the building changed hands several times. During a motorcycle trip through town in the late 1980s, the distinctive building caught Rusty and Pam Berry’s eyes and they bought and ran the Opera House for several decades. In 2018, shortly after current owners Harriet and Steve Pearson purchased the Opera House, the building suffered a catastrophic flood from a second-floor water hose break. The Pearsons decided to rebuild and preserve the entire building with a focus on accessibility and modern technology. In 2024 the renewed Shepherdstown Opera opened its doors for its first full year of operation since the flood. Preserved elements of its history – including a decades-old movie projector – can be seen throughout the building.
Today, the 100-seat Shepherdstown Opera House hosts live music, films, and other events – and the building’s upper levels again include the headquarters of a local newspaper, the WV Independent Observer. Read more at https://operahouselive.com/about-the-opera-house/
Sources-
hppts://operahouselive.com/about-the-opera-house
hppts://historicshepherdstown.com/portfolio-item/shepherdstown-opera-house/
https://www.shepherdstownchronicle.com/news/2018/06/01/opera-house-live-closes-due-to-flooding/
https://www.spiritofjefferson.com/news/article_fe1b65c4-33f1-11ef-8c9f-87e5ee8f76eb.html
Written by Ethan Wimer and edited by Harriet Pearson, published 2025
West Virginia Historic Theatre Trail 