Erie's History and Memorabilia

In 1892 Father Thomas Casey saw the need for young ladies to learn refinement and culture along with an opportunity for study and education. In order to fulfill this need, he donated the property for a school to be operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph. Mother Eugenia Quirk received his donation knowing that Father Casey actually wanted to plan the structure and supervise its building. The grounds were on the edge of the city of Erie covering what today is one city block from West Eighth to Ninth and Liberty to Plum streets. Soon the educational institution became known as Villa Maria Academy. It provided a boarding school, day school, music lessons, and private lessons in painting, drawing and languages. When the school first opened, the curriculum included: Latin, English, French, German, polite literature, botany, astronomy, logic, bookkeeping, algebra, plain and fancy sewing, painting, drawing, crayon, music, stenography, telegraphy, typing and obviously religion. In 1908 Villa...

The first schoolhouse built in Erie was in the year 1806, on the southwest corner of Seventh and Holland streets. It was of hewed logs, about 18x20 feet in size, and was built for the sum of thirty dollars, which was paid by contributions of the citizens. This first temple of learning was surrounded by the native forest, a foot-path leading to the school from the village, which was mostly collected in the vicinity of German Street, below Fourth Street. The roll of the school during the year 1812 is preserved as a historic relic. It contains the names of thirty girls and forty boys, as follows: Girls — Hannah Rees, Sarah Brown, Betsy Dobbins, Julia Bell, Eleanor Stuart, Ann Laird, Mary Wilkins, Sarah Bell, Eliza Wilson, Mary Wallace, Mary Curtis, Jane Hughes, Ann Teel, Mary Wilson, Eliza Hoskinson, Rebecca Rees, Kate Oiler, Harriet Rees, Sarah Forster, Mary Brewster, Mary McSparren, Mary McNair, Dorcas McDonald, Caroline Kelso, Eliza Cummings, Adeline Kelso, Eleanor Lapsley, Zebinia...

St. John Kanty Preparatory School was founded in 1909, it stood at 3002 East 38th Street in Erie. The Bishop & Martyr of the Stanislaus Catholic Church, in Erie, initiated the idea of a school to service the growing immigrant population in Erie. The mission of founding the school was undertaken by Vincentian priests: Fr. George Glogowski, Fr. Paul Waszko, Fr. Anthony Mazurkiewicz, and Fr. Joseph Slupina; supported Erie pastor, Father Andrew Ignasiak (later Monsignor), in the idea of founding a Polish school that would provided college preparatory education for the children of immigrants. Erie and the Great Lakes region was chosen for its location because of two main railroads, the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad whose tracks crossed in the city. It guaranteed good communication for most of the cities in the North Eastern United States. On June 29, 1909, they founded St. John Kanty College Association. Its main purpose was to acquire land and location and b...

The birth of this institution came with the starting of a school in penmanship and bookkeeping by H. C. Clark, in 1883, which developed into the institution familiarly known as Clark’s Business College. For a number of years its work was carried on downtown, on State street, east side, near Eighth street, from which it was removed to rooms specially fitted up for the school in the Downing building. In 1890, the institution was incorporated and a number of leading citizens became interested in its welfare. H. C. Clark was elected President and A. E. Scheithe Secretary and Treasurer, with seven gentlemen as Directors. In January, 189-1, Prof. Clark resigned and F. Downing was elected President and S. M. Sweet Secretary and Treasurer. In April, 1894, in response to the desire to co-operate more successfully in methods and objects, the management consolidated its work with the Erie Business College and Short-Hand School, which came into existence in 1888 in response to the...

Corry's school history began when Corry began. In 1863 the town was incorporated as a borough, after succeeding from Concord Township. In the winter of that year the new borough government acquired its first school building on Concord Street, which had been built the previous year by Concord Township, and John L. Hatch was the first principal of the Concord Street School. For a time this school sufficed. Corry became a city in 1866. In 1870 the school population was rapidly increasing and a new high school was needed and begun at Congress and Wright streets. It was named the Hatch school, in honor of John L. Hatch, Corry's first teacher. It was finished in 1871 at a cost of $30,000. At the beginning, and until 1869, the schools of the town were of the ungraded order, teaching the three Rs in the old-fashioned hit and miss way. In that year J. H. Manley, president of the school board, compiled and arranged a graded course of study for the schools, which was published and regu...