Echo Theatre (Closed)
Laurens, SC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here's a movie house with a complicated history behind its marquee. Echo Theatre opened in Laurens in 1940, just off the courthouse square. The recognizable theater front survived after film screenings ended, but by this visit, the building housed a business far removed from its original entertainment role. 03-08

In 1996, a former Ku Klux Klan leader opened the self-described “World Famous Redneck Shop” inside. It sold white supremacist merchandise and accommodated hate-group gatherings. Ownership eventually passed to Rev. David Kennedy and his predominantly Black congregation, although an arrangement allowing the shop to remain led to years of legal disputes.

The shop closed in 2012, and preservation plans proposed a museum and education center addressing the building's history. The story of Kennedy, the shop, and former Klansman Mike Burden also inspired the film Burden, starring Forest Whitaker and Garrett Hedlund. That gave the former movie house an unexpected connection with a later film.

Echo Theatre Front Facade Close-up
Laurens, SC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

UPDATE: Redevelopment stalled, and the City of Laurens condemned the building in October 2025 after serious structural problems were identified. The theater facade and marquee structure remain, but the Echo is closed and its proposed museum use has yet to be realized. 11-26

Liberty Theatre
North Wilkesboro, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

That triangular marquee makes Liberty Theatre easy to find along B Street in downtown North Wilkesboro. Opened in 1947, the theater was still showing movies when this view was taken, even though the exterior had acquired a decidedly weathered appearance. The old entrance retained plenty of neighborhood movie-house character. 05-08

The Liberty began as a single-screen theater with approximately 700 seats. It was later divided into two auditoriums, adapting the building to changing moviegoing habits while retaining its familiar frontage. The projecting marquee continued announcing the features above the sidewalk, much as it had during the original theater's busiest years.

Liberty Theatre
North Wilkesboro, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

While many downtown cinemas closed, the Liberty continued screening first-run films. Its equipment eventually changed from 35mm film to digital projection, helping keep new releases on the schedule. Repairs and repainting in 2021 refreshed the facade without removing the vintage appearance that distinguishes it from a modern multiplex.

UPDATE: The Liberty remains open and showing first-run movies in downtown North Wilkesboro. Its triangular marquee survives above B Street, continuing to advertise an evening at the movies nearly eight decades after the theater first opened. 11-26

Booker T. Theatre
Rocky Mount, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

The BOOKER T letters were still standing, but Booker T. Theatre looked ready for some attention. Its faded facade and weathered marquee marked a former movie house on Rocky Mount's Douglas Block, a downtown district with an important place in the city's Black business history. 05-08

Opened in 1929 as the Savoy, the theater later became the Booker T., serving Black audiences during segregation. Nearby stores, restaurants, and professional offices made the Douglas Block a center of commercial and community activity. By this visit, that earlier bustle had given way to vacant buildings and deteriorating storefronts.

Booker T. Theatre Close-up
Rocky Mount, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Fortunately, preservation plans were already developing. The city acquired much of the surrounding property and committed to saving the theater and neighboring historic buildings. Restoration returned the Booker T. to use in 2011 as part of the larger Douglas Block redevelopment. The familiar lettering above its entrance survived, connecting the renovated venue with its movie-house past.

UPDATE: The Booker T. remains in use as a city-operated event venue, accommodating performances, film screenings, meetings, and community gatherings. Its restored exterior presents a considerable change from the tired theater seen here in 2008, while retaining the name that generations of Rocky Mount residents remember. 11-26