Piper's Opera House
National Register of Historic Places

Piper's Opera House

Virginia City, Storey County, Nevada
Listed
March 21, 1997
Type
Building
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
97000217

About this property

Piper's Opera House is an historic performing arts venue in Virginia City, Storey County, Nevada, United States. Piper's served as a training facility in 1897 for heavyweight boxing champion Gentleman Jim Corbett, in preparation for his title bout with Bob Fitzsimmons. The current structure was built by entrepreneur John Piper in 1885 to replace his 1878 opera house that had burned down. The 1878 venue, in turn, had been to replace Piper's 1863 venue which was destroyed by the 1875 Great Fire in Virginia City. Mark Twain spoke from the original Piper's stage in 1866, and again a century later in the third venue, as portrayed by Hal Holbrook in his one-man play Mark Twain Tonight! A lynch mob hung a victim from the first venue's rafters in 1871. American theatrical producer David Belasco was stage manager at the second opera house before moving to New York City. Piper's opera houses played host to Shakespearean thespians such as Edwin Booth. Musical performers Lilly Langtry, Al Jolson and John Philip Sousa once performed here. In 1940, Errol Flynn auctioned off historic Piper memorabilia from the opera house stage, during a live NBC broadcast that coincided with the premiere of Flynn's new movie Virginia City.

Location

1, 3, and 5 N. B St.
Virginia City, Storey County, Nevada
39.31111, -119.65043

Categories

ENTERTAINMENT/RECREATIONPERFORMING ARTS
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Piper's Opera House

This page lists Piper's Opera House. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Piper's Opera House report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Piper-Beebe House
Civil War
0 mi
King-McBride Mansion
Civil War
0.1 mi
Piper, Henry, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Virginia City Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
Parish House
Civil War
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Virginia City Comstock Gang Wars, Storey County NV
1868Frontier
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Piper's Opera House listed on the National Register?

Piper's Opera House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 21, 1997.

What type of historic resource is Piper's Opera House?

Piper's Opera House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Piper's Opera House?

The period of significance for Piper's Opera House is recorded as the civil_war era.

Can I research the history near Piper's Opera House?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Piper's Opera House will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Storey County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Storey County.

Explore StoreyCounty ›

More historic places in Nevada

Browse all historic places in Nevada.

View Nevadahistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Nevada history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Nevadahistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Piper's Opera House will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report