User:Kimbonifas/IOOF Hall and Opera House

The IOOF and Opera House is a building in Bladen, Nebraska, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Excavation for the lodge and opera house began in August, 1912, with the grand opening taking place on March 25th, 1913. The two-story Bladen Opera House served as a location for meetings, graduations, musicals, and plays for many years. Annie Pavelka, the real life inspiration for Willa Cather's lead character in the book My Antonia, had her own seat in the Bladen Opera House. The Opera House was also the site for the funeral of G.P. Cather, the first Nebraska officer to die in World War I. On May 1st, 1921, more than 2000 people gathered at the opera house to pay homage to Webster County's fallen hero. A cousin to G.P, Willa Cather was inspired to write her war novel One of Ours after reading through many of G.P.'s letters.