The history of the Jackson Theatre goes all the way back to the 1920s when business owner L.M. Broyles decided to show silent movies out of his furniture store on West Main Street. The movies were so well attended, he turned it into a full-time operation and the Blue Mouse Theatre opened in 1922. In the 30s, the theater was known as the Lyric Theater and then it closed for a time before being renovated by the Sevier Theatre Corporation and reopened as the Jackson Theatre on August 30, 1945. A contest was held to select the name, and many people chose to christen the theatre after President Andrew Jackson.

The theatre showed weekly movies, hosted special guests like Lash LaRue and Tonto from The Lone Ranger, had stage plays, and offered musical entertainment including Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family. For a generation of Jonesboroughians, the Jackson was a part of their childhood. It cost a dime to get in and with a quarter, you could spend all Saturday there watching a double feature and eating concessions. It was also the location of many first dates and first jobs.

Due to the unfortunate laws at the time, the theatre was segregated and members of the African American community had to enter through a separate entrance and sit in the balcony, but some of them remembered the balcony as the “best seat in the house.” Inside the theatre, all of Jonesborough shared the magic and wonders of the cinema. The theatre closed in the early 1960s and fell into disrepair. It was purchased by Wesley Wilson who transformed it into a law office and rental space. The building hosted many businesses over the following years, including Mr. Wilson’s dance studio. He made sure the building stayed standing until the Town of Jonesborough purchased it in 2014 and began to work on its restoration to a theatre once more.

Today, the Jackson is a welcoming space for all featuring movies, concerts, storytelling, special events, and much more!