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Moonlite Theatre
Photo courtesy of Advance Abingdon

Drive-ins are becoming increasingly rare and have been generally overlooked as places of historic significance, having once occupied an important place in American popular culture. The Moonlite Theatre possesses outstanding historic integrity and is one of the earliest surviving drive-in theatres. Because of its continued use and careful maintenance, the theatre looks and operates today much the same as it did when it opened. Constructed in the spring of 1949 and opened early that summer, the theatre has been in operation continuously since then. The Moonlite is famous among drive-ins, and has at least two country-western songs written about it. It is located just west of Abingdon in Washington County, Virginia.

Richard Hollingshead, Jr. invented and patented the drive-in concept in 1933 and opened the first drive-in theatre that same year in Camden, New Jersey. It took several years for the idea to be improved, catch on, and spread to other parts of the country. The Moonlite opened under the ownership of T.D. Fields and became popular among baby-boom families with its low admission prices and reasonably priced concessions. Like other drive-in theatres across the country, the Moonlite’s business began to diminish somewhat in the 1960s and 70s. The loss of business is often attributed to the rise in the American family’s television ownership during the period, along with the introduction of “big-box” and “multi-plex” theatres. In spite of small profits, the Moonlite Theatre remained in business. The current owner, William Booker, purchased the theatre in 1992. Since the early 1990s, the theatre has seen a resurgence of popularity, and its business has flourished under current ownership. The theatre opens each year in early April and remains an immensely popular attraction.

The chief focal point of the Moonlite Theatre is the back (south) side of the screen tower facing the highway. It doubles as a highway billboard that features large neon letters spelling out Moonlite Theatre in red and blue with illuminated white stars and a yellow moon. The sign is easily seen from Highway 11 and Interstate 81. The 80 foot wide movie screen is on the north side of the screen tower. An inconspicuous one-story, six-room wing of offices on the base of the screen tower’s rear elevation was converted to an apartment in the 1970s. Another important feature of the Moonlite is the two-sided attraction board at the front entrance that serves as the theatre’s marquee. This board remains in good working order and in original condition. The ticket booth is a tiny, one-room frame building. Another building houses the concession stand, projection booth, and bathrooms. The 454 parking/viewing spaces were designed as reverse-incline ramps, so that the car windshields are aimed slightly upward for easier viewing of the tall movie screen. The pole speakers still survive, but the system is in poor repair. For the time being, the audio portion of feature movies is broadcast over FM radio.

The Moonlite Theatre is located southwest of Abingdon, VA on U.S. Highway 11 (17555 Lee Highway) in Washington County. It remains closed for the season from October 27 to March 1. For more information about showtimes, admission prices and directions call the Moonlite Theatre at (276) 628-7881 or visit the Virginia State Tourism webpage with details about the theatre.


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