To the editor:
As a student at Ohio University, it’s easy to get caught up in the energy of Court Street and the excitement of campus life, but just north of Athens County lies a region of coal communities and rich histories of labor. At the heart of this region is the Tecumseh Theater, a historic Shawnee venue that has brought generations of workers and families together for over a century.
Just last year, I was introduced to a cluster of historic coal-mining towns in southeastern Ohio’s Appalachian region, often referred to as the Little Cities of Black Diamonds; places whose history has often been overlooked or nearly erased. The first time I drove to Shawnee felt like entering a whole other world. Vastly different from Athens, this area unfolds along narrow, winding roads framed by rolling hills and dense forests. Brick and clapboard buildings lean into the streets with weathered facades. It felt quiet yet alive with charming storefronts and diners.
For students and residents of Athens, this corner of southeastern Ohio showcases a rich cultural history, and an opportunity to support the revival of one of its most iconic landmarks. This community, built by hardworking men and women, deserves a space for art, music and gathering. Furthermore, those who enjoyed the Tecumseh Theater in decades past should have the opportunity to see it reimagined and fully utilized once again.
In 1976, John Winnenberg, who co-founded Sunday Creek Associates in 1990 with Sandra Landis, worked with community members to save the Tecumseh Theater from demolition. Since then, he has attempted to revitalize the space, and for the first time in nearly 66 years, the theater is set to reopen to the public in the summer of 2026. However, construction with a diligent effort to maintain key historical attributes takes a lot of time and money. As the theater approaches the finish line to our grand reopening, we’re asking for more support through the “Stone Soup” model of community development, which invites everyone to contribute what they can in terms of time, talent and resources to build something stronger together.
Using that model, the Tecumseh Theater will host its first FUN(d)raiser Concert of 2026, featuring live performances by local bands Bristol Blue and Sweet Misery. The concert will take place 7 p.m. Feb. 20. in the Tecumseh Commons, with tickets being pay-what-you-can starting at $15.
Beyond a fun night of music and drinks, our fundraiser helps sustain the Tecumseh Theater. Named after the great Shawnee leader Tecumseh, the theater sits on the site of the former O’Bear Hotel, which was part of the farm property purchased to form the coal-mining town of Shawnee in 1872. Even then, the site welcomed prominent visitors such as President William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan.
Completed in 1908 by the Improved Order of Red Men, the three-story theater was Perry County’s tallest building and one of the first in rural Ohio to use steel I-beam construction. Its flexible, flat floor was perfect for basketball games, vaudeville shows, plays, concerts, boxing matches and graduations. More than a venue, it offered miners and their families a chance to gather and thrive outside the coalfields.
For more than a century, the Tecumseh Theater has brought people together. This Feb. 20, join us in celebrating that legacy with music, drinks and shared stories, and help ensure the theater continues to inspire the community for decades to come. Students and residents from Athens and surrounding areas are especially encouraged to attend because your support helps keep this historic space alive as a vibrant hub for art, culture and community in the heart of southeastern Ohio.
Tickets can be purchased here.
For those unable to attend, consider joining our Circle of Support and donate to the Tecumseh Theater at our website.
Darcie Zudell
Communications Coordinator for Sunday Creek Associates
Athens, Ohio
Editor’s note: This letter was updated at approximately 12:25 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, to make two corrections: the theater was completed in 1908, not 1907, and is north of Athens County, not south.
