The Jesse M. Smith Memorial Library

The Assembly Theatre
Harrisville, Rhode Island

The story of how The Assembly came to be is an interesting one. In 1900, the Smith Memorial Building was constructed using funds bequeathed to the town by Mary E. Smith, widow of Jesse M. Smith. This building then housed the town’s public assembly rooms:

This photo, taken in 1933 by the late Joseph V. McGuinness, is of the Smith Memorial Building. Demolition of the building began shortly later.

The picture above and the excerpt below are from the article “The Original Jesse M. Smith Library” by Patricia A. Mehrtens, Burrillville Town Historian, which appeared in The Neighbors on November 19, 2004. The article explains how the Assembly (and other town buildings) came into being.

“…The [Smith Memorial Building] was constructed of brick and trimmed with stone. “Eighty feet long, 40 feet wide, and three stories in height, it cost around $12,000, and was lighted by electricity with steam heat installed.

“The first floor had stores with beautiful glass fronts. The second floor contained the library and the librarian’s office in the right half of the building. The left half included the Town Clerk’s office with space for other town officials.

“The third floor incorporated a hall with a large stage, two dressing rooms, a kitchen, and a storage room. The seating capacity was 340, or 40 more than the Music Hall in Pascoag. A bowling alley graced the basement, which provided yet another place for entertainment.

“The reason for the disappearance of this building was the decision of Austin T. Levy, mill owner, to take the separate entities contained in it and build appropriate structures for each in the center of Harrisville. “It was said that Mr. Levy and his wife attended an entertainment on the third floor of the Memorial Hall while Mrs. Levy was recovering from a minor operation. With only one stairway up to the third floor, Mr. Levy noted that in case of fire, it was the only way out of the building. He saw the possibility of a tragedy because of the lack of exits, and decided to see what he could do to alleviate the situation. His solution was to demolish the original building and rebuild anew.

“Beginning in 1933, Austin T. Levy completely changed Harrisville into his image of a New England Village, with separate buildings for the town hall, library, assembly and courthouse…”

Two pictures from musical productions staged, we believe, at the Assembly Theatre in 1937. The photos were sent to us by Mr. Jon Hauge, a former local resident. Most of the players were Stillwater Mill employees and local residents. Click on the thumbnails below to see the full-size images— and if you have any information about these productions, or if you recognize any of the players, be sure to let us know and we'll include that information with the pictures.

Robin Hood (Musical, 1937) Copyright © 2003 J. Hauge Click to see full-size image.

The Mikado (Operetta, 1937) Copyright © 2003 J. Hauge Click to see full-size image. Copyright © 2004 J. Hauge Click to see full-size image.

If you have pictures of some historic local event that you'd like to share, please let us know. We may be able to post them on our Local History pages for others to enjoy.

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