The unthinkable happened on August 3, 1915, when a wall of water raced through Erie, picking up houses, animals, people and everything else in its path, unleashing its reign of terror. The torrential rain fell and quickly saturated the ground. Creeks that flowed wistfully through town rose higher and higher. Debris created a dam near 26th and State. When the pressure became too great, the water let loose.
The banks of the Mill Creek were washed out and bridges crossing from east to west collapsed. The scene in the post card shown above was photographed near German Street between East 6th and East 7th. Some wooden houses were smashed to smithereens. Some houses were picked up off of their foundations by the rushing water and deposited several yards from their original location.
The Mill Creek Flood is nearly forgotten, save for a few postcards in antique shops and online auctions. The creek was enclosed in a twenty-two foot wide concrete tube. which was completed in around 1923 for $1.9 million. Local entrepreneur Jacob Roth (of Roth Cadillac) built two of its five sections. A portion of the Mill Creek Tube runs under Jerry Uht field and across Holland Street.
C-SPAN is working with the Erie County Historical Society to gather information about the history of Erie. Can't wait to see the segment!
Enjoy more historic facts and photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie
Valentine D. Eichenlaub lived in a 5,658 square foot brick house at 10 West 26th Street in Erie, PA. The house still stands on the north side of 26th St. and thousands of cars pass it each day as they travel from State to Peach St. It was a single family home when it was built in 1887 and it's now a four-family apartment house with a couple of satellite dishes bolted to the roof of the porch. It still had a sidewalk made of bricks in 2013. The Eichenlaub family would have had a bird's eye view of the destructive Mill Creek Flood in 1915.
V.D. Eichenlaub was a businessman who was active in local community affairs. He served on Erie City Council in 1881 and had previously served as county assessor, city assessor and collector of delinquent taxes. He was born in Erie in 1852, the son of German immigrants.
Mr. Eichenlaub was a sewer and paving contractor who helped build a conduit system for underground utility wires in downtown Erie. He built the Eichenlaub block on the southeast corner of 18th and State in 1894, and he built the Hotel Wayne near 12th and State St. in 1906. Valentine died in 1929 and was buried in Trinity Cemetery in Millcreek Township.
Enjoy more historical facts and photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie
Back in 1963, the Roar on the Shore had nothing to do with motorcycles. Erie residents were in a patriotic mood, celebrating the Perry Sesquicentennial in a big way. A replica of the Flagship Niagara was assembled in Veteran's Memorial Stadium at 26th and State Street, along with a 300 foot stage. Five hundred people appeared in a series of performances that spanned seven days in August of 1963. The Roar From These Shores came from the audience at the end of each show.
Tonight Show host Jack Paar said, "One thing is evident- it's a great community effort. I've never seen such a project as this before. We need more of this in America."
PA Governor William Scranton said, "I've seen a lot of pageants. This is by far the best I have ever seen. I'm really impressed."
An advertisement claimed, "Any child who sees "From These Shores' will cherish the memory all his life and thank you for it. Don't be the on to deny him the best look he'll ever get at the history of Erie."
Were you one of the children who saw the show? Did you appear in "From These Shores?" I'm looking for pictures of the event and I'm sure someone has a few in a scrapbook. If you would like to contribute photos to an upcoming project about the Perry Sesquicentennial, be sure to act now. Contact me here to participate. Can't wait to hear your stories.
Enjoy more facts and photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie
