Charles Hedding Rowland (December 20, 1860 – November 24, 1921) was a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

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Biography

Charles H. Rowland was born in Hancock, Maryland

Hancock, Maryland

Hancock is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,725 at the 2000 census. The Western Maryland community is notable for being located at the narrowest part of the state...

. He moved to Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania

Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania

Huntingdon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. In 2010, its population was 45,913.Huntingdon County was created on September 20, 1787, from part of Bedford County. Its county seat is Huntingdon.-Geography:According to the U.S...

, in 1866 and to Houtzdale, Pennsylvania

Houtzdale, Pennsylvania

Houtzdale is a borough in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 941 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Houtzdale is located at ....

, in 1874. He was president of the Moshannon Coal Mining Co. and of the Pittsburgh & Susquehanna Railroad Company.

Rowland was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-fourth

64th United States Congress

The Sixty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1915 to March 4, 1917, during the third and fourth...

 and Sixty-fifth

65th United States Congress

The Sixty-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1917 to March 4, 1919, during the fourth and fifth...

 Congresses. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1918.

He died in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania

Philipsburg, Pennsylvania

There are three places named Philipsburg in the state of Pennsylvania:*Philipsburg, Centre County, Pennsylvania*Philipsburg, Fayette County, Pennsylvania*Philipsburg, Washington County, PennsylvaniaAlso, Phillipsburg in the state of Pennsylvania:...

, aged 60, and was interred in the Philipsburg Cemetery.

The Rowland Theater

In 1910, fire destroyed the Pierce Opera House, as well as a number of other Front Street buildings, in Philipsburg

Philipsburg, Pennsylvania

There are three places named Philipsburg in the state of Pennsylvania:*Philipsburg, Centre County, Pennsylvania*Philipsburg, Fayette County, Pennsylvania*Philipsburg, Washington County, PennsylvaniaAlso, Phillipsburg in the state of Pennsylvania:...

. Five years later, on December 31, 1915, Rowland's family purchased the site and began plans to construct a new building suitable to the needs of the local community.

Upon its completion in June, 1917, Rowland released the following statement, printed on the brochure distributed to the public on opening night:

“The people of Philipsburg have long indulged the hope of a comfortable and commodious place of amusement and entertainment. For years we have had no suitable place for public meetings, entertaining conventions, or any auditorium large enough for the varied necessities of a community as large as ours. Such a building is a public necessity. The town needs it in order to keep pace with out sister communities. Community growth would be retarded without such a public convenience.

"I have felt that we should have a theatre building in Philipsburg of size, safety and perfection of appointment that would anticipate the future, maintain our best past traditions, reflect a progressive spirit, while affording us a place to spend a delightful evening at home. It is proposed to stage only plays and moving pictures of class and quality. I trust the people of Philipsburg, together with those who come from surrounding towns, may enjoy the playhouse now dedicated to their use and pleasure. I wish to take this occasion to say to the theatre going public that it has been a source of some gratification to have been the one permitted to open to the general public a place for its comfort and entertainment."

Today, The Rowland Theater remains open to the public for motion pictures, stage plays

Play (theatre)

A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...

, orchestra

Orchestra

An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...

s, and more. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

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