Person:Henry Ludcke (1)

Educated in the St. Peter public schools and after leaving school was associated with his father and brothers in the decorating profession. When itinerent show troupes came to St. Peter during the early 1890's, he assisted them with scenery and other incidental work in staging their performances. This was the beginning of his carrer in the theatre business.

   He was manager of St. Peter's first opera house, a converted skating rink located on Third Street. Fire destroyed the building, and he went back to decorating. In 1905, he and his brother, William, built the Ludcke Opera House on Minnesota Avenue, which in its times, witnessed the passing of live entertainment, the coming of movies and finally, talking pictures. During this time Henry toured Minnesota and the surrounding states with a movie road show. One such popular early movie was "Birth of a Nation. This side-line brought silent pictures to localities where there were no theatres.
  Following the death of his brother in 1919, Henry formed a partnership with his brother's widow, Mrs. William Ludcke, and his son Gipp. This continued until 1924 when Gipp left for the East to attend Harvard Business School. Henry continued managment of the theatre until his retirement in the early 1940's.
   Other business interests included the Ludcke Poster Service and the Ludcke Picture Screen Company that made the Idealite Screen. Idealite scressns were his won invention, and were sold to more than 500 movie theatres throughout the country. The company was sold to finance son Gipp's Harvard education.
    Henry met Wilhelmina (Minnie) Gipp, from Tonawanda, NY, when she was visiting relatives (Schultze) on a farm near St. Peter. Smitten by Minnie, Henry proposed marriage. Minnie's parents insisted on a year's separation to test their devotion. In 1899 they were married in Tonawanda. 
For many years Henry's parents lived in an apartment over the opera house. It was in this apartment my  Maurine Ludcke remembers childhood Christmases with all the many members including ten aunts and uncles gathered about. 
   After Minnie's death, in 1935, Henry toured much of the country. He met Adelaide Braun in Florida and they were married. They lived for a while in St. Peter and then moved to San Diego, California. A final move took then to Cincinnati, Ohio where Adelaide had previously lived.
   Funeral services were held in St. Peter, MN at St. Peter's Catholic Church burial  in the Woodlawn Cemetary