Nevada Theatre

Built as a theatre in 1865 and still one, which is the whole claim and is rarer than it sounds. Mark Twain lectured from this stage the following year, early in the career that took him east. The building went dark in 1957 and was bought back by public subscription, reopening in 1968 — a town raising money to own a theatre it had already stopped filling. It is the oldest structure in California put up for the purpose and never converted to another.

What the plaque says

California's oldest existing theatre building. The Nevada, opened September 9, 1865. Celebrities such as Mark Twain, Jack London, and Emma Nevada have appeared on its stage. Closed in 1957. The theatre was later purchased through public donations and reopened May 17, 1968, to again serve the cultural needs of the community.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Nevada City — steps away
  Gaslamps, brick storefronts, and the Nisenan who are still fighting to be recognized on their own ground.
• Empire Mine State Historic Park — 4.5 mi
  The oldest, deepest, richest hard-rock gold mine in California, with 367 miles of flooded tunnels underneath.
• Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park — 9.5 mi
  A canyon washed out of a mountain by water cannon, and the lawsuit that ended hydraulic mining.

More markers nearby

• First Manufacturing Site of the Pelton Wheel — steps away
• National Hotel — steps away
• South Yuba Canal Office — steps away
• Holbrooke Hotel — 3.8 mi