Wharton Studio

One of the first independent regional centers of early filmmaking, the movie studio was established by brothers Theodore and Leopold Wharton on the shores of Cayuga Lake at the site of what is now Stewart Park.

[2] In late 1912, on his way to visit family in Ludlowville, New York, Theodore filmed a Cornell-Penn football game for Essanay, the Chicago studio that employed him as a director.

Impressed with the singular beauty of the area, he convinced Essanay to allow him to return to Ithaca in the spring of 1913 for a full season of filming with a cast and crew that included such stars as Francis X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne.

Their connections in the industry meant that the brothers were able to attract a number of major stars, many of whom arrived in Ithaca on the overnight train from New York City.

Their films were shot on elaborate sets that they created at their studio and in natural sites around Ithaca, including the gorges on the Cornell University campus, and they often used students and local citizens in their casts.