Gem Theater

423 Vine Street, Poplar Bluff, MO

Lost to History

Entertainment

Gem Theater

423 Vine Street, Poplar Bluff, MO

Old movie house dating back to at least 1912, fondly remembered by longtime residents.

The Story

The Gem Theater, also known as the Gem Movie House, was operating in Poplar Bluff as early as 1912. The theater is mentioned in the January 27, 1912 edition of The Daily Republican newspaper. It was later controlled by I.W. Rodgers, who would go on to build the famous Rodgers Theatre. The Gem represents the early days of cinema in Poplar Bluff and holds a special place in the memories of longtime residents who recall attending shows there.

Listed in the 1911 Poplar Bluff City Directory as well.

Gallery

Businesses Connected to This Site

The Daily Republican

Active 1910s

publisher of newspaper that mentioned the site at Gem Theater Notable event: First Known Mention of Gem Theater (January 27, 1912) — The Daily Republican newspaper published a mention of the Gem Theater, providing one of the earliest known references to the site.

City Directory Listings

This address appears in the following historic city directory listings.

Daily Republican

Page Adv

Dunham Directory Co.'s Poplar Bluff Missouri City Directory for 1909-1910

1910

Possibly Connected People

These connections were automatically identified by AI from the site's historical text and have not yet been verified. They may be inaccurate or incomplete. They are shown for research purposes and will be updated as they are reviewed by our archivists.

Isaac Walter RodgersUnverified

LLM identified as "operator/owner" — "It was later controlled by I.W. Rodgers, who would go on to build the famous Rodgers Theatre."

Quick Facts

Era

1910s

Area

Downtown

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