Among the stories of women who shaped American history should be Huldah Henning who by 1891 at the age of 19 was successfully managing the Tibbits Opera House, a 500-seat theatre in Coldwater, Michigan. Her father had purchased the exquisite stand-alone theatre a few years earlier. Huldah had to sign her father's name when doing business because many acts were resistant to a female manager. Tibbits was a stop on the circuit between Chicago and Detroit. Performing acts and theatre companies toured, often with a repertoire of several plays, musicians and novelty acts. After Miss Henning completed her first season as theater manager, the Coldwater Republican newspaper offered the following evaluation of her performance: “She is a dignified, affable and capable woman of business while still a young girl. A young lady successfully managing a big opera house is a rare case but we have it and we are justly proud of the fact.”