Have you ever wondered where the name for the Alameda Theatre originated? According to Webster’s Dictionary, the word Alameda means “a public promenade bordered with trees.” This definition is interesting but does not explain why our local theater had that name. Albemarle’s Alameda Theatre began in July 1916. At first, due to it being an outdoor theatre, it was sometimes known as the Airdome. It is thought to have been located across the street from Starnes Jewelry Store. Within a few months the theater moved into the Opera House space above Starnes, before moving to the building on North Second Street and opening on Christmas Day 1916. According to the Feb. 25, 1955 edition of The Stanly News & Press, Flynt Josey, who was then the theater manager, had started working at the Alameda in February 1918. Josey stated in the 1955 article that the original theater owner, A.B. Thompson, had named the theater after the island, Alameda, in California. Unfortunately, he did not mention the reason Thompson chose the name. {Lewis Bramlett – Stanly County Historical Society}