In 1913, the day before the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson, Wilson was forced to quietly slip into town using back alleys to get to his hotel. He was avoiding the thousands of women who had descended upon Washington to march in the Woman Suffrage Procession, the first of its kind in Washington, DC. The march was pivotal in the movement to garner a woman's right to vote, and sadly carried, similar to today, concerns of racism, and mistreatment of marchers by the crowds and police. The Suffrage Parade and subsequent inauguration were big news then, but if you lived in Brewster and had not purchased the $10.35 New York Central round-trip excursion fare to Washington for the inauguration ceremonies, it would be 10 days before you could see the inauguration day festivities unfold before you.
Frank A. Holmes was the man who ran the moving picture shows at the Brewster Town Hall in 1913, (and Dykeman's Hall in Carmel), and he had secured the use of the inauguration reels only 2 days after their release for 15 dollars. According to the Brewster Standard, the "pictures were fully up to expectations and every phase of the days event were shown clearly on the canvas."
Holmes also owned several housing lots in the Village, which he leased, but he was perhaps best known for his General Store located on East Main Street, which he partnered with his brother. The store was described as "quaint," and there he seemed to have a knack for salesmanship. He was the sole proprietor in the area for Borden's milk products, Butterick sewing patterns, and was a vanguard at promoting the trendy entertainments of bicycles, roller skates, and novelties such as stereopticons, motion picture machines and postal cards.
Thankfully, F. A. Holmes, in selling post cards, was also responsible for making many of the post card series showing the historic vistas of Brewster - this card included. In 1906 he earned the nickname 'The Postcard Man' by selling over 1,000 Thanksgiving greeting cards. Seeing the earning potential, he soon expanded his card line to commemorate Valentine's Day, Easter, etc.
Holmes first venture into the moving picture business was short-lived. He attempted to show films at the Town Hall in 1909*, but abandoned the idea stating that "night entertainments are unpopular in a village the size of Brewster." He revived his idea in 1912, and combined the shows with other entertainments such as vaudeville performers, and roller skating carnivals. Given that the films were without sound, a piano player, organist, mandolin, or banjo would accompany the moving pictures. Opera singers, jugglers, magicians, comedy sketches, and small orchestras would also be added features to the shows.
Holmes also recruited a local retired circus man, Frank Townsend, who had a trained black bear, named 'Clem,' that was given to him when it was a cub. Frank and Clem performed tricks on the platform created by the bifurcated stairs in front of Town Hall to the delight of some 300 children on matinee days. The matinee cost 5 cents for children, 10 cents for adults, and all seats were 15 cents in the evenings, but seeing Frank and Clem perform was free. Show dates were usually Wednesday and Saturdays.
The initial years of operation were tough and it was difficult to operate the shows during the winter and spring months due to impassable roads by snow or mud, and also to the fact that the Town Hall was heated with coal, and when it was cold there would be shortages of it. But Holmes plugged on, showing hit's such as 'Brewster's Millions' (DeMille - 1914) which showed, according to the Standard, in "five exceptionally long reels," and concluded with "an interesting reel showing the catching, cleansing and packing of salt water fish."
After this Holmes started having two showings at 6:30 and 8:15 pm, which were monitored by the local fire chief to ensure that no tickets were sold after seating was filled.
Griffith's 'Birth of a Nation' (1915) also had a good attendance (the battlefield portions of the film were shot in Somers at the Crane and Flood farms), and the short films of local events such as the Putnam County Fair, (aka the Carmel Fair), as well as the above-mentioned performance by Frank Townsend and his trick bear, Clem were always a hit.
Holmes, and other cameramen were also on hand to film local events such as the auction of Brewster Livery and Transportation fleet of wagons and sleighs. local flooding, carnivals and fairs, parades and baseball games, and fires in those early years of movie making, and If you should have any old movie reels in your attic or basement, please consider donating them to your local historical society, or some other preservation organization.
During W.W.I , the Town Hall became the 'Brewster Theatre' with Robert A. Jennings , who would later gain acclaim as a cameraman for Fox News and Universal Pictures; and William H. O'Neill, both managing different events that sometimes played war propaganda films, and cartoon comedies. But attendance was down considerably during that time, possibly because prices for children had risen to 10 cents with a 2 cent war tax. Adult seats cost 20 cents with the war tax included.
Post war, America was changing and chaotic. How better to relieve ones mind of the strife than to imbibe in a little cinema? By 1923, there were several venues in the Village to watch moving pictures. The Cameo and the Strand were born and both offered different film options in any given week. F.A. Holmes retired and moved to Florida. Time passes, and now, a little over 100 years later we find that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Women will again be marching on Washington to a backdrop of world unrest, racism, economic and labor issues. The inauguration and march will be live-streamed and televised, and can be viewed instantly on your phone, or in your home. However, should you wish to see a movie instead, that option is currently no longer available in the Village of Brewster - the Cameo is closed. However, the Old Town Hall in Brewster is currently undergoing renovations. perhaps when finished they'll host a moving picture night?
*The Edison Projectoscope Company, American Cameragraph, D.W. Robinson's Entertainment Company, etc. hosted moving pictures at the Town Hall , Fireman's Hall, and various churches through the years 1904 -1923 showing various films such as the 'Great Train Robbery.'