Appalachian Theatre of the High Country Collection

Appalachian Theatre of the High Country Collection

Built at the direction of W. R. Winkler and A. E. Hamby in 1938, the Appalachian Theatre was an Art Deco marvel for the upstart mountain town of Boone. The theater featured 997 seats when it opened--enough to seat the entire population of Watauga County in just three showings--and was home to countless movies and live acts, including one of Doc Watson's early stage performances. Following a devastating 1950 fire, the theater was reopened as a single-screen theater but was converted to a twin in the 1980s. The theater is presently under renovation to restore its former glory and re-open as the premier showplace in the High Country.

Images in this collection include early photographs of the theater in 1938, late 1940s images of crowds in front of the theater, 1950 post-fire images showing the Appalachian after renovations, and numerous advertisements for shows at the theater.

Series 1 through 4, as currently organized, contain materials donated by various donors to the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country between 2011 and 2015.

Series 5 consists of materials donated by Pilar Fotta to the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country in 2019.

Appalachian Theatre of the High Country, Inc.

The Appalachian Theatre of the High Country has generously donated digital use rights to these images to Digital Watauga through a deed of gift. Any reprinting, redistribution, or other use of these images outside of Digital Watauga requires written permission from Digital Watauga and the Appalachian Theatre of the High County. Contact Digital Watauga for additional details.

A finding aid for this collection can be found here: App-The-FindingAid