The Woodward Opera House embodies Mount Vernon's cultural history as America's oldest authentic nineteenth century theater still standing. Conceived by Dr. Ebenezer Woodward, it opened to the public in December 1851 and hosted performers such as the Snowden Family and Dan Emmett, as well as prominent Americans including William McKinley while he was Ohio's Governor. It closed in the early 1920s, due in part to the growing popularity of movie theaters. The non-profit Woodward Development Corporation now owns the building, and efforts to restore it to its former glory are in progress.