John Hicks Was One Cool Inventor

John S. Hicks of Erie, PA taken about 1898.

John S. Hicks was a local businessman and inventor who lived in Erie, PA. He was born in Virginia on Feb. 14, 1845. He came to Erie around 1878 and operated a business at 1406 Turnpike St. for about three years. John later purchased a three-story building at 1216 State Street which housed his ice cream manufacturing business and retail store in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

"During the summer season his specialty is the furnishing of ice cream for his parlors and for supplying orders for private families, parties, picnic and church festivals. The purity of his ice cream has become known all through the city." -Erie Morning Dispatch, April, 1883.

Hicks was granted a U.S. patent number 801,379 on October 10, 1905 for an Ice-cream Mold. "My invention is an improved ice-cream mold for molding a brick of ice-cream with a figure of any desired form in the center thereof." 

Judging from advertisements in the local newspapers, it was common at the time for customers to buy a pint-sized block of ice cream with a shape in the center that corresponded to a holiday, such as a lamb at Easter time.  

Hicks was chosen by the Governor of Pennsylvania to be a delegate to the Illinois National Half-Century Exposition held in Chicago in 1915 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. 

Mr. Hicks was a pioneer African-American businessman in Erie, Pennsylvania. He retired from the ice cream business around 1910. He died on Nov. 13, 1933 and was buried in Erie Cemetery. His building at 1216 State Street was demolished about thirty years after he died.

Learn more facts about Erie PA at Old Time Erie

Commerce Building on State Street in 1926

I found this cool shot of State Street taken in 1926, so I took a break from my studies to write a new post. This photo shows the east side of State from 10th to 13th Street. The tall cream colored building on the left is the Erie Trust Company (later the Baldwin Building  or Renaissance Center) at 10th and State. It still stands. The tall building to the right is the Commerce Building at 12th and State, which has since been demolished. 

The sign for Lawrie Brothers Furniture, at 1207 State St., is partially visible. Reliable Furniture was located next door, at 1213-1221 State St. The Wayne Furniture Company, at 1223-1225 State, rounds off Erie's original Furniture Row. Erie Sea Food House was located at 1227 State, and Erie Window Glass Co. was on the corner of 13th and State (1229 State St.). 

The New Commercial Hotel was across the street at 1301 State, Schneider Hardware was next door at 1303 State, and Joseph Erhart sold harnesses, horse supplies, trunks, bags and leather goods at 1305 State St. Most of the buildings south of 12th Street still stand.

In case you're curious, I'm studying the human genome. Be thankful I'm writing about State Street rather than bombarding you with details of DNA, nucleotides, cytosine and histones. 

Enjoy more fun historical facts about Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie

12th and State, Commerce Building Erie PA

Old Time Erie: Commerce Bldg. courtesy of Ken Sidun.

The Commerce Building was located on the northeast corner of 12th and State Streets in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Twelfth and State was a very busy intersection, so its hard to believe that there was NO TRAFFIC LIGHT at this corner.

The old postcard of Erie on the right shows the trolley traveling south on State Street and turning west onto 12th Street. There is also a woman pushing a stroller across 12th Street with a group of people walking behind her. And the cars seem pretty close to each other.

There does not appear to be a radio antenna on top of the Commerce Building in this shot. WLEU and later WCCK both broadcast their stations from this location.

Richard Irwin was the architect of the Commerce Bldg. It was built by Mayer Brothers Construction of Erie, PA. Dr. Elmer Hess was an early tenant of the Commerce Bldg.

The Commerce Building was demolished in the 1980s. Click here to view a photo of the demolition of the brick-faced building.

Enjoy more historical facts and photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie

State Street, Palace Theater and Baldwin Bldg., Erie PA

This postcard, taken on 12th and State Street in Erie, PA looking north, is courtesy of Ken Sidun. The Erie Trust Company Building on the right is better known as the Baldwin Building or the Renaissance Bldg. The Boston Store is visible in the distance on the left side of the image. The Sherman's sign was still hanging on the east side of State between 10th and 11th in the early seventies. You can also see the old Palace sign on the right.

The area shown here on the right currently contains the Crooked I and the Docksider and the Plymouth.

A portion of this postcard showing the Baldwin Building is visible in a shot from the early seventies.

Enjoy more fun facts and photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie

Commerce Bldg demolition 12th and State St. in Erie, PA

State Street in Erie, PA looking north from the railroad tracks to watch the demolition of the
Commerce Building. Photo by Debbi Lyon ©2012. 

It was a sad day when the final truckload of rubble was carted away for the old Commerce Building in Erie, Pennsylvania. A crane and wrecking ball was used to slowly take down the mammoth building at 10 East 12th Street.

The Commerce Bldg. occupied the northeast corner of 12th & State for many years. I used to go to the studio of WCCK-FM K-104 to pick up boxes of 7" singles. WWGO had its studio there in Room 212 in 1968, when Larry Perrotto was the station manager. (WWGO-AM 1450 began in 1935 and became WWGO-FM 103.7 around 1968. and later evolved into Go Underground, where you could hear Moby Grape, Jethro Tull and Ten Years After in the wee morning hours. WWGO later evolved into K-104.)

Bill Shannon, program director of K-104, used to play local bands such as The Pulse, Friction and Prophecy, the pre-Stabilizers band

WYNE's Dan Geary (aka Captain Dan) remembers "an exceptionally young Johnny Holiday (aka Bob Bach) broadcasting 'From the edge of the ledge' at the Commerce Building, high above State Street." at WWGO.

Frank Ferreri (aka Ron Rondo) was on WCCK-FM from 1970 to 1976. He remembers one of the other tenants a couple of floors below the station. "Great bar in the basement, the Aristocrat Lounge."

Joel Miller says, "When I was on WCCK/K104 1974-1977 the studios were in the Commerce Building. I have VHS video of the building being torn down. I took it from along 12th Street while the studio was exposed from the outside walls having been knocked away."

Jim Griffey (aka J.J. Sanford) started as a DJ at WCCK-FM on March 18, 1976, spinning "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate. Jim says the Aristocrat Lounge "became an after hours haunt...the Pickwick Club. Many times I had to wade my way around drunks and hookers when I'd have to do an early Saturday shift."

Tami Bennett (aka Tami Hagar) also did a stint at K-104 after the station moved to West 26th Street. She visited the Commerce Building many times, "but not as an employee. My Mom did commercial traffic for WWGO in the days of Jim 'Lemmons' LaBarbara."

K-104 moved to 1946 West 26th Street in Erie, PA after leaving the Commerce Bldg.

Dr. Elmer Hess was one of the first people to open an office in the new Commerce Building around 1913. Richard Irwin of Pittsburgh, PA was the architect and the Commerce Building was soundly built by Mayer Brothers Construction Co. of Erie, PA.

WLEU-AM had a studio in the Commerce Building, according to Dorothy J. Anthony. "I worked there in the 1950's!"

At the end of its life, the Commerce Building rented out practice rooms to local bands, so I got to rock out on John Rainey's Flying V once or twice. You could crank up the Marshall stack and play as loud as you wanted- there were so few tenants that the place was practically a ghost town.

The Baldwin Building (the one with the First National Bank logo on it) overshadows the Commerce Building in this photo. You can also catch a glimpse of the Boston Store on the left, partially obscured by a street light. The block letter sign for Gem City Furniture at 1507 State Street is in the center.

K-104 survey from 1980: K-104 Survey from 1980

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