Erie's History and Memorabilia

During World War II, in April of 1944 Camp Reynolds, located in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, was designated as a Prisoner of War Camp with four branch camps, one of which was located in the Borough of North East at the Lakeside Hotel. The other branches of the camps in Pennsylvania were in Kane, McKeon County; Marienville, Forest County; and Sheffield, Warren County. The original group of 300 prisoners arrived at Camp Reynolds in the first part of April 1944. On September 24, 1944, more than 200 German prisoners of war (POW) were kept at the camp in North East, living in barracks at the Lakeside Hotel and working in the nearby canneries, one of which was the Sunshine Packing Company. An article in the  Erie Daily Times , at the time, reported that 60 German prisoners-of-war staged a sit-down strike, refusing to process the fruits and vegetables at the height of the harvest season. The POWs were quickly and quietly removed and sent back to Camp Reynolds, the POW base...

In January of 1988, Theodore Branch, age 43, and his wife, Cheryl Branch, age 40, of Erie who turned their backs on life in the United States were granted permission to live in the Soviet Union. They went to Moscow as tourists in December of 1987 and were granted permission to stay by the Supreme Soviet, the county's parliament. At a press conference held by the Soviet Foreign Ministry they were identified as Mass Media Specialists by the Ministry’s chief spokesman, Gennady I. Gerasimov, who said the Branch couple came to the Soviet Union as tourists and decided that they did not want to return to their home in Pennsylvania. "They appealed to the authorities for permission to stay in the Soviet Union as permanent residents and political emigres ," said spokesman, Gennady I. Gerasimov. "The Branch couple appealed to the authorities for permission to stay in the Soviet Union as permanent residents and political emigres ," Gerasimov said. "...

In 1826, at age 15, Horace Greeley was made a printer's apprentice to Amos Bliss, editor of the Northern Spectator , a newspaper in East Poultney, Vermont. There, he learned the mechanics of a printer's job, and acquired a reputation as the town encyclopedia, reading his way through the local library. When the paper closed in 1830, Greeley went west to join his family, living near Erie, at Wayne Township. He remained there only briefly, going from town to town seeking newspaper employment, and was hired by the Erie Gazette . Although ambitious for greater things, he remained until 1831 to help support his father. While at Erie, Greeley became a Universalist, breaking from his Congregationalist upbringing. Horace Greeley lived for a short time on the west side of Fourth and State streets in a building that still stands. There is a small metal plaque out in front of the building that notes his residence. If the legendary editor incubated some of his journalistic...

Legal and publishing pioneer Laura deForce Gordon was born in the borough of North East. Though growing up in strained financial circumstances, Laura deForce was well educated and became an accomplished orator. Marrying Dr. Charles Gordon, she moved to Nevada and then to California, becoming a suffragist and journalist. She was the first woman to run a daily newspaper (the Stockton Daily Leader ). She was instrumental in the passage of the Women’s Lawyers Bill , which allowed women to practice any profession in California. Laura deForce Gordon then became a successful lawyer for 20 years. Laura deForce was born in North East, Pennsylvania, on August 17, 1838, to Catherine Doolittle Allan and Abram deForce, one of nine children, both to the couple. For much of her early life, deForce’s father was unable to work because of a lengthy struggle with rheumatism. His condition compelled deForce’s mother to support the family through her needlework and lace making. Despite the burdens on a...

The Downing Insurance Building was a refined structure at 9th and Peach Street. It was built in 1883 by Jerome F. Downing for $40,000, and later demolished for the redevelopment of Downtown Erie. The interior was in keeping with the exterior, elegantly and conveniently arranged, finished in attractive hard woods, and provided with stained glass windows. The ceilings were a lofty thirty-feet from the floors — tastefully decorated. The office force comprised some twenty-five clerks and assistants, a number of whom were employed with Mr. Downing from ten to twenty years. The office represented the Pennsylvania Fire Insurance Company, employing over 2,000 local agents with a territory that was comprised of fourteen states and five territories. Agents render their reports under the direction and control of the manager, Mr. Downing. Born on March 24, 1827, Jerome F. Downing was a native of Enfield, Massachusetts, and a lawyer by profession. He was reared on...

In 1954, Erie’s Mayor, Thomas Flatley, was arrested — alongside several people in his administration, top brass at the police station, and members of the city’s crime syndicate — on charges of corruption, abuse of power, and illegal gambling, to which he pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and violating his oath of office, leaving him to resign facing jail time and fines. Thomas W. Flatley, born September 5, 1890, in San Francisco, California, was the Democrat Mayor of Erie from 1952 to 1954. Arrested in October of 1954 and charged with taking part in a gambling racket, Flatley admitted to receiving payments and pleaded guilty; sentenced, on December 15, to one to two years in jail, and fined $1,000. Mayor Flatley’s downfall followed a Republican-inspired investigation of gambling in the city, involving the bribery of officials and employees of the City of Erie connected with gambling or the operation of the numbers racket in the city. The inquiry resulted in indi...

The Public Steamboat Landing was formally dedicated in June, 24, 1909. The formal dedication was presided over by Pennsylvania Governor Stuart, who turned it over to the city of Erie as a public boat landing. Immediately the Cleveland & Buffalo Steamboat Company arranged to furnish regular passenger and freight transportation between Erie and Cleveland and Buffalo, making use of the new dock. Clark Olds, who at the time of the dedication was the former president of the Chamber of Commerce, was also present at the dedication. The extension of the old original Public Dock northward 600 feet into the bay was made possible by an appropriation of $150,000 voted by the Legislature of Pennsylvania. The accomplishment of acquiring the appropriation to build the landing was due to the efforts of the Erie Chamber of Commerce, and more especially to the individual efforts of Clark Olds, the president of the Chamber, who succeeded in lobbying the Erie representatives in the legislature. ...