Thursday, November 28, 2013

Thanksgiving Snowstorm 1956 Headlines

Erie Daily Times Nov. 23, 1956.
When Erieites talk about the Thanksgiving Day Snowstorm, chances are they mean THE snow storm from 1956, when two feet of snow brought the City of Erie to a standstill.

Back then, life was a lot less complicated. The entire family got together for a home cooked Thanksgiving Dinner. There was no 24 hour marathon of "A Christmas Story" on TV. If your family had a television, it probably had a tablecloth draped over it and excess food sitting on top of it. 

There was no such thing as Black Friday or Cyber Monday. People did not miss Thanksgiving dinner because they had to work at a big box retail store. People did not camp out for three days in front of Best Buy waiting for a great sale on a big screen TV or a personal computer. 

Isn't it fun to reminisce about the good old days?

Click here to leave a comment on the 1956 snowstorm. 

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Enjoy more facts about the history of Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie

5 comments:

  1. That sure was interesting and you're right, I'm glad we missed it. Living in the Albany area, we probably
    had as much snow and Syracuse was always bombarded. Life was simple and people had respect for
    one another. Thanks for sending that article to us. Hope your Thanksgiving day was pleasant. We were
    taken out to dinner at the Colony Restaurant by our son and family. We were seated right by the fireplace and the food was wonderful!!!

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  2. I was 10. We lived on the lower eastside near the PA Soldiers and Sailors Home. We rode sleds down rhe hills near the PA Driver's License Test track. No one had the guts to try the hill behind the Anthony Wayne Blockhouse. We were annoyed only because we didn't get any snow-days off school.
    Eric McShane

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    1. I was 10 years old. I had a paper route from Parade to State streets on 12th street. I started out at 5 a.m. I had a red wagon but the wheels jammed in the snow that started falling. I had to go back and get my sled. I lived at 222 E, 10th street, and the firehouse was at 11th and Parade. My sister helped me. She was only 9 years old. It took us 4 hours to finish! I went back to get my wagon at the firehouse,and my sister took the sled home. At 10th and State a nice man told my sister to get in the sled she was pulling, and he pulled her home! I got home later, but my mother had hot chocolate waiting for both of us! I was told that there were only two [paperboys that delivered their papers that day. I don't know who the other one was. I received a $1.50 bonus,but gave it to my sister. Without her help, I would still be out there trying to get to State.

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  3. I delivered the Erie Daily Times, a morning newspaper then. I was 16 years old. On Thanksgiving morning, while it was still dark, I walked up to the corner of 29th and Holland, from our home at 234 East 28th Street, to collect my newspapers. Snow had started to fall, and I remember seeing the lovely, smooth white layer of snow, illuminated by street lights and unmarred by automobile traffic, covering 29th Street.
    My route consisted of about 120 customers, stretching from Old French Road to the Glenwood Creek area west of State Street. By then, the snow had accumulated to several inches, but I didn't seem to mind it, and thought it was a bit fun trudging thru the snow.
    When I finally delivered all my papers, about an hour and a half later, I noticed that Gaylord Sheldon, who lived on 30th Street, was preparing to deliver his newspapers, the Dispatch. I was not in a hurry to get home, so I walked along with him while he delivered his job.
    By the time the snow stopped falling, it was at the top level of our front porch, which was about 3 steps above the sidewalk. That was a snowstorm I frequently remember, and am even proud of!

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