Damm Theatre

The Damm Theatre is a historic movie theater located at 115 North Buckeye Street in Osgood, Indiana, United States. It was founded by Louis Damm, a German immigrant who arrived in America in 1868 and settled in Osgood in 1902. In 1914, Damm built a modern movie house next to his bakery; it opened in October of that year with the silent film Big Jim of the Sierras. The theater also hosted vaudeville and local amateur acts, which helped it compete with larger-city movie houses. In 1922, Damm purchased Osgood's first movie theater, the Columbia Theatre, and moved his operation across the street, renaming it the Damm Theatre. The new location included a large dance hall, roller skating rink, and other activities on the second floor, and its approximately 400-seat auditorium could hold one-third of the town's population. Today, the Damm Theatre continues to operate as a single-screen cinema, showing first-run films on weekends. It is a cash-only business, offering gift certificates, with ticket prices of $6.00 for adults and $4.00 for children 12 and under and seniors 60 and older. The theater is located at 117 Buckeye Street (mailing address 115 North Buckeye) and can be reached at (812) 689-DAMM. It remains a local landmark and gathering place in Ripley County.

The Damm Theatre's history begins with its namesake, Louis Damm. Born in Germany, Louis came to America in 1868 at the age of fifteen. He settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, to live with relatives and worked in a bakery earning $1 per week. Eventually he saved enough money to purchase his own bakery, and he soon married Kathryn Vetter. For nine years, Louis and his wife ran their bakery in Cincinnati until they moved to Osgood, Indiana, in 1902 to open a new bakery. In 1914, Louis Damm built a modern movie house next door to his bakery. It opened in October 1914 with the silent feature film Big Jim of the Sierras. Like many theaters in the early days of film, the Damm Theatre also hosted vaudeville and local amateur acts alongside its major motion pictures. Remarkably, the theater's versatility allowed it to compete with other movie houses in larger cities. In 1922, Osgood's first movie theater, the Columbia Theatre, owned by local retired businessmen Richard Beer and Gottlieb Herman, was sold to Louis Damm. Beer and Herman had created the theater in the building that housed the Louis J. Albrecht Livery, Feed and Stable. Soon after, Louis moved his theater into the new location across the street and renamed the Columbia Theatre the Damm Theatre. As the sole movie house in Osgood, Louis decided to increase the activity of the theater by keeping it open more days. In addition to providing Ripley County with its largest auditorium, the new Damm Theatre location also included a large dance hall, roller skating rink, and many other activities on the second floor. The approximately 400-seat theater could hold one-third of the town's population. When popular movies played there, it regularly did. At that time, the theater was a central hub of entertainment and community life in Osgood. The Damm Theatre continues to operate today as a single-screen cinema, showing films on weekends. It remains a cherished local landmark, offering affordable entertainment with cash-only ticket sales and a nostalgic atmosphere.

• 1922

  Louis Damm purchases the Columbia Theatre, Osgood's first movie theater, and renames it the Damm Theatre after moving it across the street.

• 1914

  Louis Damm builds a modern movie house next to his bakery; it opens in October with the silent film Big Jim of the Sierras.

• 1902

  Louis Damm moves to Osgood, Indiana, and opens a bakery.

• 1868

  Louis Damm immigrates to the United States at age fifteen.

A historic, community-focused single-screen movie theater offering affordable weekend entertainment in a small-town setting.

• Movie screenings

  Weekend showings of first-run films, with showtimes Friday and Saturday at 7:00 PM and Sunday at 2:00 PM.

• Gift certificates

  Available for purchase at the theater.

• Venue rental

  The theater is available for rent, as indicated on its website.

1. 1Home - Damm Theatre - Osgood Indianadammtheatre.com
2. 2History - Damm Theatre - Osgood Indianadammtheatre.com
3. 3Damm Theatre - Wikidatawikidata.org