Retrospect: Fire destroyed historic Hines Theatre

The Hines Theatre burned down 35 years ago today, resulting in one death and the loss of the historical building in Portland. 

Early in the morning of July 23, 1983, Portland Fire Department received a call of smoke coming from the area of the building on Walnut Street in downtown Portland.

When firefighters arrived around 5:15 a.m., much of the movie theatre was in flames. Twenty-two Portland firefighters responded to the call; upon seeing the extent of the fire, units from Bryant, Salamonia, Redkey, Pennville and Fort Recovery were called to the scene, with Dunkirk placed on standby. 

Flames roared into the sky as firefighters fought to subdue the fire, which was under control by 6:34 a.m. but continued to smolder over the next few days. Around two million gallons of water were pumped over the course of 48 hours to fight the fire, The Commercial Review reported. 

Firefighters located the body of Edward S. Earhart, 79, at 7:39 a.m. after the fire was under control. The theatre’s longtime projectionist was found in his third-floor apartment and had died of smoke inhalation. He was a Portland native and a veteran of the United States Army. 

The Hines Theatre was originally constructed as an opera house in 1885. It was named the Hines Theatre by Sherman Hines, who owned the building in the 1920s. At the time of the fire it was owned by Cinema Realty Co. of Muncie. 

The building was said to house a “treasure trove” of movie and show business memorabilia that was destroyed in the fire, along with pieces of local history. One such item was the only copy of a film showing Portland’s 1936 centennial celebration.