The first moving pictures in Stanly County were possibly part of a traveling show owned by local showman Jethro Almond. The Feb. 25, 1955 edition of the Stanly News & Press stated that in 1901, the movies of Almond’s “crude projection outfit” were first shown upstairs of the building at the corner of South Second and West Main streets. Almond said that the film was “about 200 feet long in length and ran for only three or four minutes.” He also shared about a minister, Arthur Buttes, who was traveling around the region at about the same time showing moving pictures in a tent. Almond explained that Buttes may have been in Albemarle before him but could not say for certain. The exact date that Almond would have first been in Albemarle is unknown, but a newspaper clipping from the March 7, 1901 Stanly Enterprise tells when he was in the area. The article states, “Almond and Cole will give their stereopticon and moving picture exhibition at New London tomorrow night. And at Millingport Saturday night. It is a good show and worth three times more than the 10 cents charged for admission.” {Lewis Bramlett – Stanly County Historical Society}