William Goodspeed operated his banking and shipping business along the Connecticut River in East Haddam. Attempts to elevate the class of his neighborhood included construction of an opera house in 1877. With Goodspeed's death, just five years later, opera house productions soon faded.
     Goodspeed's vintage opera house hit rock bottom when the state moved in snowplows and used the fancy six story building for storage. But the story ends on a happy note. Slated to be razed, a group of caring individuals saved the structure, raised funds for its preservation and assisted in the building's refurbishment. The long, arduous task began with the building's exterior in 1963.
     Today, the Goodspeed Opera House proudly stands along the river bank and once again offers live entertainment. Productions for Goodspeed musicals have entered their sixteenth season.