Erie's History and Memorabilia

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...

In 1835, Hamilton Elzie Waters, secured himself and his mother, Lovey Waters, a Certificate of Freedom. Waters had been partially blinded during his years as a slave, possibly due to injuries received during punishment after being caught with a book. Waters and his mother migrated from Maryland to Ithaca, New York, where he would meet his wife Lucinda who had been in the household of Governor Throop Governor of New York in 1829. After marrying the couple moved to Michigan and started a family. Their first child was Elizabeth Waters in 1838, soon after her birth the family moved to Erie, where they would remain for generations. In Erie, Hamilton Waters worked as a town crier and lamplighter and owned his own home. Hamilton and Luncinda believed highly in education and instilled the belief in their children and grandchild that no dream of achievement was unattainable. Hamilton Waters was an agent of the Underground Railroad, gaining information about people of all classes from his ...

On June 17, 1837, Strong Vincent was born in his grandfather’s house, the honorable Judge John Vincent, on the northwest corner of East 1st and Cherry Street in the Borough of Waterford. The family moved to Erie in 1843. The judge every year always had the whole family return to his home for Christmas. A special Christmas tradition at his home was that all of the grandchildren would find a hundred dollar bill beneath their plates. According to the Vincent's family journal, the children enjoyed playing hide and seek in the house, because at that time the house extended much farther north and all buildings were connected to the house, wood shed, livery and tack rooms, wood shop and carriage houses, etc. that gave a lot of area’s to hide. The house burned down during the late 1990s. Strong Vincent was a lawyer who became famous as a U.S. Army officer during the fighting on Little Round Top at the American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, where he was mortally wounded. Vincent ...

I would like to gratefully thank and credit “Evelyn Konzel Cage” for the photos and the information that she provided that made this article possible. The Place Cafe was located near East 9th Street at 908 Parade Street, within the German community of Erie. August Seus was the proprietor and was well known within the community by his nickname Gus . People often referred to the Place Cafe as Gus Cafe . The cafe served wine, beer, sandwiches and soup. The cafe played a vital role within the community during the Great Depression of the 1930s, providing ox-tail soup for a nickel at all hours, in an effect operating as a soup kitchen. The cafe also had a standing bar where everyone could gather, have a drink and socialize. August Seus was born in Hammett, Erie County, in 1883, and was married to Mary Ebach Seus. Mary, along with the family, ran a bed and breakfast in Greene Township, while August worked in town. During the Great Depression, August worked at the slaughter house to make ...

The Boston Store was founded in 1884 in Erie when the Rochester, New York, firm Mellon, Elliott & Quigley opened the Erie Dry Goods store at 1604 Peach Street and then suffered a business failure in 1885, providing an opportunity for the New York firm Sibley, Lindsay & Curr , which owned Sibley’s Department Store in Rochester, to take over the Peach Street store. Sibley’s store in Rochester were often called the Boston store by the locals there, which became the inspiration for the name to be given to their newly acquired Erie store. Sibley’s needed a local management team to oversee the Boston Store. Elisha H. Mack Jr. was hired and placed in charge, managing the store with his partners Spittal and Roy under the moniker of the Erie Dry Goods Company. In 1902 the management of the store was officially incorporated under the name, with Elisha H. Mack Jr. as president, and Robert Spittal as treasurer. Mack retired in 1925, shortly after his longtime business partner, Spittal, ...

The Old Customs house, at 415 State Street, was originally built for banking purposes and was occupied by the United States Branch Bank of Philadelphia until 1840 when the parent bank failed and forced the closing of the Erie Branch. This building is said to have cost seventy thousand dollars, while the president's house south of it, and the barn located on east Fourth Street cost about ten thousand more. In 1849 the United States Government purchased it from W.C. Curry who had been appointed to settle up its affairs. After being acquired by the government it was converted into a Customs House and the basement used as a bonded warehouse. In 1853 the Erie Post-Office was located in this building and remained there until 1867 when that institution removed to Eighth and State streets. From 1867 to 1909 this building was unoccupied, when the Grand Army of the Republic was made custodian. The interior was re-decorated but no major alterations was made to change it. On September ...

In 1969 William Anthony Boyle was challenged by Joseph Albert Yablonski for the presidency of the United Mine Worker's of America union. Boyle beat Yablonski in the election. Yablonski conceded the election, but asked the United States Department of Labor to investigate the election for fraud. After a meeting with Yablonski concerning the investigation, Boyle ordered his murder. In December 1969, three hitmen shot Yablonski, his wife, and 25-year-old daughter, as they slept in the Yablonski home in Clarksville, Pennsylvania. The Murder Trial was held in Erie at the Federal Courthouse in 1973 Boyle’s Early Life and Union Career William Anthony Tony Boyle was born in a coal mining camp in Bald Butte, Montana, on December 01, 1904, to James Boyles and Catherine Mallin. His father was a miner. The Boyle family was of Irish descent and several generations of Boyles had worked as miners in England and Scotland. Boyle attended public schools in Montana and Idaho before gradua...