03/18/2025
Rest in Peace, Shake Anderson! It was always fun to hear you.
Farr Best Theater Memories
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This page is strictly a tribute to the Farr Best Theater, a historic building, gathering place and cultural hub in Mansfield since 1917.
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109 N Main Street
Mansfield, TX
76063
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A Brief History of the Farr Best Theater
Author Michael Whitington writes in his book, Ghosts of North Texas, that Milton Farr came to Mansfield in 1917 and quickly became one of the town’s most influential citizens. Respected as a man of vision, despite only three years of formal schooling, in many way he brought the City into the twentieth century.
In 1917, the city council granted Farr a 50-year franchise agreement to provide electricity to Mansfield, and soon after, a modern water supply system. The city purchased the electric plant from him in 1950, though Mr. Farr continued to work for the city even after the sale.
Whitington writes, "As a patron of the arts, he created a motion picture house in downtown, which he named the 'Farr Best Theater.' And, perhaps it was. With all of the modern conveniences of the time, it probably was the 'far best' in all the area!" The theater opened its doors on the evening of October 10, 1917.
According to The History of Mansfield, Texas, published by the Mansfield Historical Society, movie tickets cost ten cents each. The Theater featured Saturday afternoon kiddy matinees, a movie on Friday night and a matinee and night movie on Saturdays. The Theater ran silent movies till 1929 when talking movies hit the market. In 1936, Mr. Farr remodeled to add a balcony, enlarging the seating space to 200.
