Workers finished construction of the Opera House in 1879, at the start of Nelsonville's boom period brought about by the growing rail system which sent coal from the area to the industrialized north.

The Opera House attracted a high caliber of shows as well, playing host to some of the most successful acts of the era.

The Opera House would continue to be deeply connected to Nelsonville until its closure in 1924, which was brought about in part by audiences’ preference for film and the coal boom coming to a halt.

Stuart's doors would remain closed until the 1970s when the Hocking Valley Museum of Theatrical History bought the building with the goal of restoring it to a working theater, as well as a place of learning.

[citation needed] Past performers have included Wilco, The Flaming Lips, Willie Nelson, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Ween, Loretta Lynn, Gillian Welch, John Prine, The Avett Brothers, They Might Be Giants, The Decemberists, Randy Newman, Merle Haggard, Iron & Wine, Yo La Tengo, George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Courtney Barnett, and many more.