Erie's History and Memorabilia

The Stone House at 3506 East Lake Road, near Lawrence Parkway, was built by the Crowley family and was believed to have been on the Underground Railroad Circuit. A member of East Erie’s first pioneer families, the Crowley family were very wealthy and owned considerable property and built the stone house as their family homestead. Beautifully manicured, the grounds of the house, at one time, boasted a diverse orchard and lush gardens. Emigrating from Ireland, Thomas Crowley Sr., born in 1789, came to Erie in 1821 or 1822, as did his brother Michael, in 1826. Thomas and his wife Ellen (Ahern) Crowley had several children in Ireland, and several more in Pennsylvania, as late at 1836. The families of these two brothers, Thomas Sr., and Michael, were among the richest landowners in the Erie region through the 1800s. They donated the land and funds to build St. Patrick's Church in the 1830s. In 1827, Michael Crowley, Thomas’ younger brother, bought 399 acres of land ...

The Presque Isle, North Pierhead Lighthouse, also known as the, Erie Harbor North Pierhead Light, is one of the three lighthouses near Erie. The light, situated at the far eastern end of Presque Isle State Park, helps mariners as they traverse the narrow inlet between Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay. Originally constructed as a wooden tower in 1818, that light was swept away by a schooner in 1855, it was powered by whale oil, and had to be constantly attended. When mariners were approaching the channel, many times they had difficulty spotting the pier light until they were right on top of it. To help solve this problem, in 1854, the light was equipped with a new sixth-order Fresnel lens, so that the beacon could be more easily seen. This apparatus had an illuminating arc of 270 degrees, which was a great improvement from the former light. In an inspection report of 1837 it was noted that Erie’s Harbor was served by a lighthouse and a beacon. The lighthouse was the Erie Land Ligh...

Presque Isle Lighthouse is located on the north shore of Presque Isle State Park at Lighthouse Beach in Erie. The construction of the lighthouse began in September of 1872 and was completed in July of 1873. Initially the square brick tower was only 40 feet high so an additional 17 feet were added to the tower in 1896 to enhance the projection of the light from the Fresnel Lens out into the lake. The Presque Isle Light was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 4, 1983, as part of a group listing of lighthouses and light stations operated by the United States Coast Guard on the Great Lakes. Erie Land Lighthouse was the first lighthouse at Erie, also the first American lighthouse on the Great Lakes. It was constructed on a mainland bluff in 1818, not far from the site of Fort Presque Isle. In 1870, plans were begun for a lighthouse on the north shore of the Presque Isle peninsula that would replace Erie Land Lighthouse on the mainland. This new light would be s...

Ferncliff is located at the foot of Virginia Avenue, at the waterfront, the length of the property ending just east of Lincoln Avenue. According to documents at the Erie County Historical Society, Ferncliff dates back to 1893 and was incorporated as a development in 1903, giving people the right to build cottages on the water. One of the first cottage dwellers was, Charles Loesel, a tinsmith who built his own home out of tin nailed to an oak frame. The Ferncliff lifestyle wasn't easily accessible in its early years because the only access was a steep wooden staircase off the bluff at the foot of Lincoln Avenue. Everything from building supplies to food had to be carried down the steps, water was derived from a spring that flowed without of the bank. When the road was built in about the1930s, the stairs went unused, and in the 1960s, were abandoned. Many cottage owners raised their building on poles to prevent flooding during the high water, while others rebuilt on higher fo...

The Younger Brothers' roots go back to 1962, when Paul Yoculan formed The Fabulous Epics. In 1963 The Epics moved to New York City and became the house band at the world-famous Peppermint Lounge. Years later Tom Hanks would call them "The Wonders" and tell their story in his film That Thing You Do. Singer Paul Yoculan and Vinny Frazini formed The Fabulous Epics while living in Erie. The Band performed routinely at the Sons of Italy, which had a club at 621 West 18th Street. After a little over a year the Epics moved to New York, where they quickly won a slot as house band at The Peppermint Lounge. The Peppermint Lounge opened in 1958 at 128 West 45th Street in Manhattan, New York. It had a lengthy mahogany bar running along one side, lots of mirrors and a dance floor at the back, with a capacity of just 178 people. The club had a gay and celebrity clientèle. Celebrities swarmed into the Peppermint Lounge: Audrey Hepburn, Truman Capote, Marilyn Monroe, ...

The Talon zipper factory in the city of Erie was located in the 900 block of West 26th Street, between Plum and Cascade streets. The factory was at its height of production during World War II manufacturing zippers for flight suits worn by the pilots who served during the war. The factory in Erie was a branch of the main factory that was located in the city of Meadville, in Crawford county. After the war, as business declined, the factory was closed in 1960, following the closing of the main factory in Meadville. Though Talon survived, as a result of a merger with foreign interests, the business no longer exists in Erie or Crawford county. Talon Zipper was company founded in 1893, originally as the Universal Fastener Company in Chicago, Illinois. Later, they moved to Hoboken, New Jersey, before finally settling in Meadville, Pennsylvania. It was in Meadville that the zipper as we know it was invented, until then they were producing hookless fasteners for boots and shoe...

On a Thursday morning, on the 5th of October 1950, a speeding New York Central streamliner wrecked in a terrific explosion and fire, but its 153 dozing passengers miraculously escaped death. More than 40 persons were injured, none seriously. The New England States Express , cruising through Erie at more than a mile a minute, sliced into an oil tank car that popped out of a passing freight train. The tanker erupted in a blast that shook downtown Erie. Huge flames licked around the Express stainless steel coaches as 11 of them zig-zagged to a grinding halt crosswise on the tracks. Only one car — a dormitory for dining car employees — caught fire. One coach carrying 50 passengers turned over on its side. The 75-car freight piled up on a parallel track. A disaster call went out. Within minutes some 20 doctors, 50 firemen and a like number of policemen were at the scene. Together with hundreds of passersby and railroad employees the rescue crews worked feverishly to free p...