Hancock County Historical Society

07/26/2026

Some Greenfield Theater History

The first picture in this series is a photograph of a movie theater in Greenfield around 1910. This is a "real photo post card (RPPC)." It is taken from the back of the room. It shows a stage with a painted back drop. An upright piano can be seen down in front. The seats appear to be elevated in the back allowing all the patrons to have a better view with theater seating.

The back of the post card (picture #2) was addressed to Fritz Bidgood with a note saying, "August 31, 1910 Guess you know the place. B"

The "B" in this note is Bess Bidgood, Fritz Bidgood's sister who was a teacher.

Both siblings grew up in Greenfield, and it is known that Fritz was involved in the theater business in town around this time. Fritz was also described as a great artist, so he may have even painted the scene on the back drop. So if Fritz should "know this place" as it says on the card. It must be one of the movie theaters where he was a co-owner in the business.

The question is... which one?

"Is this the "What's Next Theater" or the "Why Not Theater?"

The What's Next Theater opened in the "Gooding Block" in 1907. It was operated by William White, Von Glasscock and Fred "Fritz" Bidgood according to a 1907 Hancock Democrat newspaper article (image 6).

Now with a little newspaper sleuthing, we know that the What's Next Theater owners leased the "south half of the Gooding Block" in 1907.

Pictures 3 and 4 in this series are of the Gooding Block, which used to hold the Gooding Tavern. That building was built in 1823, and it was expanded down south State St by 1825. It was one of Greenfield's earliest structures.

Picture 5 is of the Sanborn Fire map from 1906 (one year prior to the opening of the theater) which shows that a millinery shop and a drug store were in the south half of the Gooding Block at that time. I believe the What's Next Theater occupied the drug store space, which is the furthest south.

Per the Hancock Democrat, the new Why Not Theater would be opened by the same group of men in 1908, and would occupy the space immediately north (the millenry space) of the What's Next. So the theaters were side by side.

Both of these theaters were multiuse facilities. They had a stage for vaudeville acts, speakers and a variety of musicians as well as a screen for movies. If you look at the article about the opening of the What's Next, it describes that the seats were elevated in the back as shown in the original photo.

Of course at this time, the movies all would have been silent movies, which is why a piano would also be present in the image. A pianist would play a stock set of tunes to provide "sound" for the movies. The talking would be conveyed through "dialogue cards" (printed words which conveyed what was said in each scene).

Now here is another interesting clue: According to the Hancock Democrat, the What's Next Theater would close by July 1909. The Hancock Democrat article says all of the fixtures from the What's Next were transferred to the Why Not Theater next door.

The Why Not would continue to serve as a theater under that name and in that location until a new $50,000 structure was built on south East Street (now American Legion Place) by the Why Not Realty Company. The Why Not Theater opened in the new location in 1919, and it featured a balcony for film viewing.

Later the Why Not Theater would be taken over by the operators of the Riley Theater (a competitor in town) and renamed the Riley Theater in the early 1930s (see last photo). The Riley Theater brought talking pictures to the facility and completely remodeled the theater in 1931.However, the Why Not Realty Company continued to own the building.

Now, Fritz Bidgood is believed to be the protectionist in the 9th image in this series. It would have been probably taken in the old Why Not location in the Gooding Block. This post card was dated 1909 and postmarked from Greenfield. It was addressed to Elizabeth Bidgood aka Bess, who was in Boulder, CO at the time. Fritz Bidgood was mentioned as the operator of the "electrical machine" when the What's Next opened in 1907 (image 8). So the protectionist is very likely Fritz.

In that same article about the opening of the What's Next, it was reported that William White played the piano and Von Glascock sang. Later there is an ad (image 7) that Earl K. Smith, noted Greenfield composer was playing music at the What's Next.

Now, according to Fred "Fritz" Bidgood's obituary (the 10th image in the series), he would leave Greenfield to move to California about the time of WW I. However from the original post card, his sister Bess was writing to him in Indianapolis in 1910. So while he wasn't out west yet, he had already left town.

If the original image in this series was taken in 1910, the What's Next would have been closed. So then we can conclude that this is *probably* a picture of The Why Not.

The new Why Not Theater location aka The Riley Theater, located at 60 American Legion Place, still exists today. It would be operated as a theater until 1953, and then was sold to the Goble Printing Company in 1960.

Do any of you have any old Greenfield Theater memorabilia or photos?

Brigette Cook Jones
Hancock County Historian

07/25/2026

Join us on 9/11 to view a documentary on the 9/11 events on the 25th anniversary.

Where: HJ Ricks Centre for the Arts
122 W. Main St
Greenfield, IN
When: 9/11 6pm
Free admission but donations are accepted!

07/04/2026

In honor of the 4th of July

The Name of Old Glory
by James Whitcomb Riley

Old Glory! say, who,
By the ships and the crew,
And the long, blended ranks of the gray and the blue,
Who gave you, Old Glory, the name that you bear
With such pride everywhere
As you cast yourself free to the rapturous air
And leap out full-length, as we’re wanting you to?
Who gave you that name, with the ring of the same,
And the honor and fame so becoming to you?
Your stripes stroked in ripples of white and of red,
With your stars at their glittering best overhead
By day or by night
Their delightfulest light
Laughing down from their little square heaven of blue!
Who gave you the name of Old Glory? – say, who
Who gave you the name of Old Glory?
The old banner lifted, and faltering then
In vague lisps and whispers fell silent again.

II

Old Glory,–speak out!–we are asking about
How you happened to “favor” a name, so to say,
That sounds so familiar and careless and gay
As we cheer it and shout in our wild breezy way
We-the crowd, every man of us, calling you that
We-Tom, Dick, and Harry-each swinging his hat
And hurrahing “Old Glory!” like you were our kin,
When-Lord!-we all know we’re as common as sin!
And yet it just seems like you humor us all
And waft us your thanks, as we hail you and fall
Into line, with you over us, waving us on
Where our glorified, sanctified betters have gone,
And this is the reason we’re wanting to know
(And we’re wanting it so!
Where our own fathers went we are willing to go.)
Who gave you the name of Old Glory O-ho!
Who gave you the name of Old Glory?
The old flag unfurled with a billowy thrill
For an instant, then wistfully sighed and was still.

III

Old Glory: the story we’re wanting to hear
Is what the plain facts of your christening were,
For your name–just to hear it.
Repeat it, and cheer it, ‘s a tang to the spirit
As salty as a tear;
And seeing you fly, and the boys marching by,
There’s a shout in the throat and a blur in the eye
And an aching to live for you always-or die,
If, dying, we still keep you waving on high.
And so, by our love
For you, floating above,
And the sears of all wars and the sorrows thereof,
Who gave you the name of Old Glory, and why
Are we thrilled at the name of Old Glory?
Then the old banner leaped, like a sail in the blast,
And fluttered an audible answer at last.

IV

And it spake, with a shake of the voice, and it said:
By the driven snow-white and the living blood-red
Of my bars, and their heaven of stars overhead
By the symbol conjoined of them all, skyward cast,
As I float from the steeple, or flap at the mast,
Or droop o’er the sod where the long grasses nod,
My name is as old as the glory of God.
…So I came by the name of Old Glory.

07/01/2026

Great info on early law practice in Indiana in thr mid-1800s

06/30/2026

Here is a photo of a historic artifact that is no longer seen in Hancock County....

This photo comes out of the 1976 New Palestine HS Yearbook. It shows a New Palestine High School student wearing a FFA jacket.

As a county with a heavy agricultural presence in all of its communities, it should be no surprise that Ag related organizations tend to flourish here....Farm Bureau, 4-H, and Future Farmers of America (FFA).

In Hancock County there used to be a FFA program at all four county schools. However, by the late 1980s, the FFA program at New Palestine HS ceased to exist.

This is why I say this photo of a New Palestine FFA jacket is a "historic artifact" because today and for many years prior, there has been no FFA program at New Palestine HS.

It seems sort of odd to me that the more "city" school of Greenfield - Central has a flourishing FFA program while NP does not. Also, even though, McCordsville is the fastest growing community in the state, Mt. Vernon still has its FFA program at its high school too. Of course, Eastern Hancock with the largest school district in the county...has the largest FFA program because that school district is made up of mostly farms.

So what happened at New Palestine?

When did the NPHS FFA program end and why did it stop?

Anyone have any New Palestine FFA items that they would like to share photos? What about former FFA teachers at NPHS?

Inquiring minds want to know???

Brigette Cook Jones
Hancock County Historian

06/25/2026

Check out Hancock County Tourism's new mural!

In Hancock County, the major feature of the new America 250 mural is John Hancock holding a quill pen.

06/20/2026

A new story about Riley...

06/17/2026

Thank you Hancock County with Love for the shout out!

There are such lovely spots all over Hancock County! Hancock County Historical Society is one of my favorites! Have you taken a tour?

06/08/2026

Join us June 28th at 2 PM for a Hancock County America 250 Event at the Chapel in the Park! Learn more about the U.S. Constitution.

05/08/2026

Today we remember a community Hero.

Captain Malcolm E. Grass
Hancock County Sheriff's Department
End Of Watch: May 8, 1986