The Richmond Theater Fire

Early America's First Great Disaster

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book The Richmond Theater Fire by Meredith Henne Baker, LSU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Meredith Henne Baker ISBN: 9780807143766
Publisher: LSU Press Publication: March 14, 2012
Imprint: LSU Press Language: English
Author: Meredith Henne Baker
ISBN: 9780807143766
Publisher: LSU Press
Publication: March 14, 2012
Imprint: LSU Press
Language: English

On the day after Christmas in 1811, the state of Virginia lost its governor and almost one hundred citizens in a devastating nighttime fire that consumed a Richmond playhouse. During the second act of a melodramatic tale of bandits, ghosts, and murder, a small fire kindled behind the backdrop. Within minutes, it raced to the ceiling timbers and enveloped the audience in flames. The tragic Richmond Theater fire would inspire a national commemoration and become its generation's defining disaster.
A vibrant and bustling city, Richmond was synonymous with horse races, gambling, and frivolity. The gruesome fire amplified the capital's reputation for vice and led to an upsurge in antitheater criticism that spread throughout the country and across the Atlantic. Clerics in both America and abroad urged national repentance and denounced the stage, a sentiment that nearly destroyed theatrical entertainment in Richmond for decades. Local churches, by contrast, experienced a rise in attendance and became increasingly evangelical.
In The Richmond Theater Fire, the first book about the event and its aftermath, Meredith Henne Baker explores a forgotten catastrophe and its wide societal impact. The story of transformation comes alive through survivor accounts of slaves, actresses, ministers, and statesmen. Investigating private letters, diaries, and sermons, among other rare or unpublished documents, Baker views the event and its outcomes through the fascinating lenses of early nineteenth-century theater, architecture, and faith, and reveals a rich and vital untold story from America's past.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

On the day after Christmas in 1811, the state of Virginia lost its governor and almost one hundred citizens in a devastating nighttime fire that consumed a Richmond playhouse. During the second act of a melodramatic tale of bandits, ghosts, and murder, a small fire kindled behind the backdrop. Within minutes, it raced to the ceiling timbers and enveloped the audience in flames. The tragic Richmond Theater fire would inspire a national commemoration and become its generation's defining disaster.
A vibrant and bustling city, Richmond was synonymous with horse races, gambling, and frivolity. The gruesome fire amplified the capital's reputation for vice and led to an upsurge in antitheater criticism that spread throughout the country and across the Atlantic. Clerics in both America and abroad urged national repentance and denounced the stage, a sentiment that nearly destroyed theatrical entertainment in Richmond for decades. Local churches, by contrast, experienced a rise in attendance and became increasingly evangelical.
In The Richmond Theater Fire, the first book about the event and its aftermath, Meredith Henne Baker explores a forgotten catastrophe and its wide societal impact. The story of transformation comes alive through survivor accounts of slaves, actresses, ministers, and statesmen. Investigating private letters, diaries, and sermons, among other rare or unpublished documents, Baker views the event and its outcomes through the fascinating lenses of early nineteenth-century theater, architecture, and faith, and reveals a rich and vital untold story from America's past.

More books from LSU Press

Cover of the book New Orleans on Parade by Meredith Henne Baker
Cover of the book The Visible by Meredith Henne Baker
Cover of the book Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln by Meredith Henne Baker
Cover of the book New Directions in Slavery Studies by Meredith Henne Baker
Cover of the book Trail of Bones by Meredith Henne Baker
Cover of the book Sir William Berkeley and the Forging of Colonial Virginia by Meredith Henne Baker
Cover of the book Wild Blessings by Meredith Henne Baker
Cover of the book Vaudeville in the Dark by Meredith Henne Baker
Cover of the book A Horse with Holes in It by Meredith Henne Baker
Cover of the book Evangelicalism and the Politics of Reform in Northern Black Thought, 1776-1863 by Meredith Henne Baker
Cover of the book Our Minds on Freedom by Meredith Henne Baker
Cover of the book Using Plants for Stormwater Management by Meredith Henne Baker
Cover of the book The Louisiana Field Guide by Meredith Henne Baker
Cover of the book This Scribe, My Hand by Meredith Henne Baker
Cover of the book Art Matters by Meredith Henne Baker
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy