In those early years, many also enjoyed the weekly picture show that in the beginning used glass slides and a ‘magic lantern’ oil lamp projector. One could travel throughout the world, marvel at cultural differences and enjoy nature's handiwork. Silent movies became a big hit once it was figured out how to use a continuous strip of film moving in front of a light bulb to add motion. Silent features became became big hits. Very quickly, stars were made, and everyone had their favorites: Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Buster Keaton, Rudolph Valentino, Mary Pickford, Harold Lloyd and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., to name a few.

For Peebles, the silent movie era had the right people in the right place with the right resources at the right time. The town was booming. Streets were improved and some even paved as a result of the automobile industry. A few fires in the downtown area called attention to the need for better firefighting equipment. The population increased and in 1915 an electric plant was built to provide power to homes and businesses, both old and new. Downtown took on a warm glow with the addition of street lights at night. That same year a new city hall was constructed. The south half of the building was the perfect location for the home of the Peebles Palace Theatre.

All was going well at the theater until another major development came along in the late 1920's. You could actually hear your favorite star's voice! But with the addition of sound to motion pictures came the expensive process of updating equipment to handle the new technology. The process of filming a motion picture cost more, the processing of the film cost more, and new projectors that could play the sound track were necessary, and cost more. But, by the 1930's, there were around 15,000 cinemas in the U.S.  Ten thousand, including The Palace, had sound.

During the 1930's The Palace Theater in Peebles became a very popular gathering place, a great location for the various levels of society to come together and share. But there were more changes to be made. The theater was too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. The screen wasn't big enough to see for everyone sitting in the 200 seats. The chairs weren't comfortable. And you needed to be very cautious if you had to go to the bathroom. The Palace had become a bit old-fashioned, but a great opportunity to bring it up to date happened to come along. J. Henry 'Hank' Davidson was already in the movie business, having operated a theater in Seaman that he began in 1932. It was financially successful for a few years before Davidson decided to focus his attention on his more profitable cinemas that he managed or co-managed; those in Lynchburg, Greenfield, Georgetown and Osborn, Ohio. He also saw a great opportunity to expand his movie theater empire by joining with Harry C. Wamsley who was operating the Palace at the time. The merger proved to be very successful and by 1941, the partnership had made plans to construct a new ultra-modern motion picture showcase in the downtown area. However, the plan for progress quickly came to a halt with the start of World War II and the lack of materials, bricks and steel and workers. Meanwhile, a third associate was added, Davidson's good friend, K. R. “Kib" Roberts, who was employed by Chevrolet in Norwood, Ohio.

By October 1945, after the end of the war, supplies started to flow and employees became available, including Wamsley's son, John, who contributed greatly to finishing the project. He joined the group of three, and the new partnership was officially organized as the Adams Amusement Company. Work finally began at the site of the former Bank Hotel building, a little south of the corner of North Main and Elm Streets.

Once basic construction was completed, the latest improvements for the public's comfort were installed: a modern air conditioning and heating system, modern rest rooms, the newest audio and projecting equipment, a new plastic screen, a modern confection room, and specially designed movie seats for an audience of up to 450. The Mound Theatre was billed as “Tomorrow's Theater Today!”

The Grand Opening was advertised for Tuesday, February 11, 1947 at 7 p.m. The first movie shown at The Mound was titled “Blondie's Big Moment”. The movie was based on the newspaper comic strip “Blondie.” It was 19^th out of 28 in the series (1938-1950) and the first of four Blondie films released in 1947. Penny Singleton was the female lead, 'Blondie', with Arthur Lake starring as 'Dagwood'.

Ms. Singleton starred in the cast of the radio version of the comic strip from 1939 to 1950 and was also known as the voice of Jane Jetson in “The Jetsons” animated TV series in 1962-1963. She was in show business over 60 years.

Englishman Mr. Richard Milton Hollingshead, Jr. is credited with the idea of an outdoor theater “whereby the transportation facilities to and from the theater are made to constitue an element of the seating facilities.” That was from a patent application he filed in 1932. The idea took a while to catch on, but by the 1950's, all the kinks had been worked out, cars were big enough and comfortable enough, and outdoor theaters grew to number over 4,000 screens in the U.S. In keeping up with the times, the Mound moved to the country to become a drive-in theater in 1955. It was located approximately one mile north of Peebles on Route 41.

The drive-in was extremely successful as a prime hang-out for teen-agers, their friends who were old enough to drive and had access to a vehicle, and a relatively inexpensive way to entertain everyone from young children through older adults.

circa 1980

A significant decline in business began in the mid 1970's with the introduction of pre-recorded video tapes and video cassette recorders. Their popularity meant you could choose what to watch , when to watch and where to watch. People's habits began to change in regard to their entertainment budget.

For the drive-ins, operating costs continued to increase dramatically. Many had difficulty paying their staff, paying for equipment upgrades, paying for supplies and meeting movie performance licensing fees. Changes in ownership, business styles and an aging population also took their toll. The Mound was no different. It was greatly affected. The Mound Theatre has now been closed around twenty-five years.