Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum — Attraction in Fremont

I have been living in and around Niles all of my life. I was walking through Niles with a friend from out of town and we walked into the Museum. I believe our tour guide had mentioned the Museum had opened in 2012. I had been living away from my hometown for several years. Was really nice to discover this Museum, the tour guide was knowledgable, and friendly. I learned a few things that I didn't already know, saw the theater that featured silent movies, saw the projection room full of old reels, and antique equipment. My friend was very impressed to learn that nearby Niles Canyon was frequently used as a backdrop for some of the movies for Bronco Billy and Charlie Chaplin. There were framed photographs on the walls of the bungalows that housed the casts and crews in the alleys behind the buildings on the main street, also a souvenir shop. We very much enjoyed the display of antique clothing worn for that period. No fee to enter or tour, however, a donation jar is on the counter if you wish to support their efforts. Large parking lot across the street for free...

If you enjoy local history, the Museum is a treasure trove of local history....and it's connection to the film industry. They also show Silent Movies every Saturday night. The piano accompianist is remarkable, playing background music for the movie with no sheet music and playing non stop for the length of the show. Amazing!! Now that's Talent. The evening we attended the movies, there were quite a few school aged children in the audience. I thought they would be bored because they were used to all the modern movie technology, but to my surprise, they we're loving it all. Some school classes go there as a field trip and make their own videos at the location spots they had seen in the movies. There is a walking tour of all the historic locations. A...

We stopped in on a whim and met Michael, a volunteer who was as knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the silent film era as anyone we've ever met. Not a large museum by any means -- you can probably view and read all the static displays in about 30 minutes, but it is nonetheless worth every minute of your time. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the museum is the fact they have several examples of hand-cranked arc lamp projectors that you can actually touch and crank yourself! The history behind the Niles Essanay Film Studio is fascinating and informative. We learned a tremendous amount about film history in the short time we were there. Please make a generous donation to this important little slice of American film history. Highly...