Koehler's Neon Sign and Clock

Old Time Erie: Koehler clock photo ©John Baker 2013.

Stark. Bold. Stately. The old Koehler clock on State Street. How sad it was to watch this old sign suffer a slow and agonizing death. Its paint peeled. Rust dissolved the iron. The hands stopped turning. Time stood still. No one seems to remember the exact day when the Koehlers first flipped the switch. It lit up the skyline for many years.

The old red and white building at 2121 State St. was constructed in 1863, at a turbulent time when the Civil War was in full swing. The brewery was established in Erie, Pennsylvania by the Koehler family in 1847. The Erie Brewing Company sold the Koehler brand to C. Schmidt and Co. of Philadelphia in February of 1978 and stopped brewing beer in Erie. The five building complex sat vacant from '78 until it was leveled in the spring of 2006.

Did you know there were several Koehler beer references in the movie That Thing You Do featuring Tom Hanks? Click the movie title for a cool article with stills from the scenes in the motion picture.

Reminisce about the old days at Old Time Erie

Walnut Creek Hotel in Kearsarge, PA

Walnut Creek Hotel postcard courtesy of Tom DiLuzio.

Here is a real photo postcard of an old Erie County hotel, complete with several pieces of luggage sitting in the dirt. The Walnut Creek Hotel, if it existed today, would sit at 5701 Peach Street, on the southeast corner of Peach and Biebel Avenue in Millcreek Township. The site is currently occupied by Roth Cadillac. It's across the street from the Millcreek Mall.

The Walnut Creek Hotel was also a tavern. There are three Erie Brewing Company corner signs on this wooden building, advertising beer, ale and porter. Kids who grew up in Kearsarge referred to this building as the 'Haunted House.'

There are three men in this photo, two on the porch (one in a white apron) and one standing next to the horse-drawn wagon. Unfortunately, there is no postmark on the postcard. At the turn of the century, Peach Street was called Edinboro Road, or the Erie and Edinboro Road. Biebel Avenue was called Zauniger Lane. (Zaunnegger St. now runs parallel to Peach St.)

My theory is that the Walnut Creek Hotel was owned by George and Mary Biebel. They were the parents of William and Edward Biebel. William died in his home at 5637 Peach Street on May 14, 1929. The headline of his obituary read "Well-known Kearsarge Merchant Succumbs at His Home." William and Edward owned a general store near the hotel. 

I'm hoping that one of the descendants of the men shown above will drop me an e-mail to solve this mystery. 

Enjoy more historic Erie, PA facts and photos at: oldtimeerie.blogspot.com

Gust Seus' Wine & Beer Hall, 9th and Parade, Erie PA

Gus Seus in front of his bar at 908 Parade St. Photo courtesy of Evelyn Konzel Cage.

August 'Gust' Seus had a bar at 908 Parade Street in Erie, PA called The Place. He had a great location, his wine and beer hall was one block south of Kraus' Department Store, and it was across the street from the Parade Street Market. Gust Seus is the man in the white apron in the old photo shown above. He helped his neighbors during the Depression by offering soup and sandwiches. The sign on the left says, "Our Hot Soup at All Hours."

Gust was born in Hammett, Erie Co., PA in 1883, and was married to Mary Ebach Seus. He worked for Terry Reagan at Reagan's Cafe, 913 Parade Street, in 1942. Gust passed away in 1972.

One of the neat details in this photo are the Erie Brewing Company corner signs posted at the top of the front windows, advertising beer, ale and porter. If you can find an original sign, it has red letters, a gold trim frame, and a sky-blue 'B' in the center.

Enjoy more historic Erie, PA facts and photos at: oldtimeerie.blogspot.com

Koehler Beer Old Dobbin Ale ad 1937 Erie PA

Koehler Beer was manufactured by the Erie Brewing Company at 2131 State Street in Erie, Pennsylvania. Old Dobbin Ale was named in honor of Daniel Dobbins, a contemporary of Oliver Hazard Perry during the War of 1812.

This advertisement from the 1937 Erie City Directory shows two styles of Koehler's bottles, the stubby and the tall brown bottles. The clock is a drawing of the one that hung on the exterior of the Koehler building on State St.

Enjoy more historic facts and photos of Erie, PA at: oldtimeerie.blogspot.com

Ainsworth Baseball Clinic with Pittsburgh Pirate Dick Groat 1968 in Erie, PA

Dick Groat appeared at Ainsworth Field in Erie, PA on August 20, 1968 for a baseball clinic sponsored by the Erie Brewing Company and the City of Erie.

Groat was a shortstop who played in eight All-Star games and was the Most Valuable Player in the National League in 1960. He played in the World Series in 1960 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and again in 1964 with the St. Louis Cardinals. 

The two hour baseball clinic was free. 

Please post a comment if you attended this clinic. 

Koehler Beer ad 1952 There is no better Beer!

Koehler Beer ad 1952 There is no better Beer

Koehler Beer ad from Dec. 8, 1952 Erie Daily Times.

Here's a neat old advertisement for Koehler Beer, which was produced by the Erie Brewing Company on State Street in Erie, Pennsylvania. The Koehler Brewery was established in 1847.

The ad reads, "A Taste Treat that Can't be Beat...of course it's...KOEHLER'S. There is no better BEER!" The illustrations show a beer and a burger with cartoons of German characters with catsup and onions. 

In December of 1952, Koehler's advertised three fine brews: Lager, Pilsener and Jackson's Select.

The only thing missing from this ad? Jackson Koehler, of course. (Does anyone know the name of the actor who portrayed Jackson Koehler in print and tv ads?)

John Biggie says, "They used to offer tap rooms free of charge to anyone having an office party or something of that order...Beer was free, right out of the pipes."

Here's a link to a WSEE-TV interview with Koehler collector Mark Dana which shows a crowd watching the old Koehler building on State Street in its final stages of demolition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8090wdI68s

Here's a photo of the Koehler beer sign on 10th and State Street.

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