Coleman Theatre

George Coleman paid for it with lead and zinc. He and his brother Alfred were among the newcomers who developed the Picher field beneath Quapaw land north of town, the mining that turned Miami from town to city. The field opened with a strike in late 1913 on the allotment of Harry Crawfish, and from 1917 to 1947 it was the most productive in the Tri-State district, supplying more than half the lead and zinc consumed in World War I. His 1929 theater opened billed as the most elaborate theater between Dallas and Kansas City.

What the plaque says

Coleman Theatre The Coleman Theatre, built in 1929 as a vaudeville/movie theatre palace, has hosted many legendary performers. Never closed, it holds the original Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ that has entertained generations. Programs and acts of all types are still performed regularly. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Properties.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Coleman Theatre — steps away
  A 1929 vaudeville house on Route 66 in Miami, Spanish Colonial outside and Louis XV within, with the only 1928 Mighty Wurlitzer still in the building it was built for.
• Brush Creek Bridge (Rainbow Bridge) — 16 mi
  The last of three Marsh rainbow arch bridges on Kansas's short stretch of Route 66, built in 1923 and kept standing in 1992 when the road association refused to let it go.

More markers nearby

• Gateway Sign — 0.3 mi
• Historic Route 66 Ribbon Road - Sidewalk Highway — 5.0 mi
• Baxter Springs Massacre — 13 mi