Big Fish Drive Inn at Peninsula

Today I'm going to answer two requests that I recently got via e-mail:

"Can you send me a picture and some info about the Big fish restaurant on Peninsula Drive from back in the 40's and 50's" When I was a kid we pass it on the way to the beach. My mom and I took the bus from Wesleyville and had something to eat in the late 40's. The whole front of the place was shaped & painted like a fish only BIG. I was telling my daughter and granddaughters about it."

"I'm at work in southern California and just found out about your website. So happy!!! Grew up in Erie in the 50's and 60's. I visited there last summer and loved seeing all the old favorite spots. This summer I was telling my kids and family about the 'Big Fish,' a huge wooden structure in the shape of a fish that was in front of a restaurant on the corner of Peninsula Drive at the entrance to the beach. I Googled it and couldn't find where the Erie Times new or anyone had any pictures of it. Do you have any?...or could you put it out on your blog in case some out there has an old photo?"

Jerry Skrypczak (co-author of Fortune and Fury, a history of commercial fishing in Erie) was kind enough to send a postcard of the Big Fish. I bet there are a lot of tourists who spent their summer vacation visiting Presque Isle State Park that would remember this place. Oh, Steve and Pat, now your kids won't think there was something fishy about your stories. 

Click here to share your story about The Big Fish

Enjoy more memories of Erie, PA at: Old Time Erie

Rider's on the Bay with Ice Cream Stand Erie PA

Rider's on the Bay postcard from 1954 contributed by Michele H.

Let's take a look at Rider's on the Bay from a different angle. We ran a shot of this restaurant a couple of months ago and someone said, "Hey, where's the ice cream stand?" If you look hard enough, you can see the giant ice cream cone on the left side of this photo. This card was postmarked 1954. You could buy ice cream and fish & chips at the little stand on the south side of the restaurant. 

Rider's was located on West Dobbin's Landing near the Public Dock in Erie, PA until the 1960s. It had a giant fish on the roof and a cool neon sign which wrapped around the front of the building. The sign for Erie Marine Supply Co. is visible on the right side of this postcard. 

Here is a link to the other photo of Rider's: http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/11/riders-on-bay-state-street-restaurant.html

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

Giant Smoke Stack on Erie's Bayfront

Penelec Substation in Erie, PA. Photo by John E. Baker. Used with the permission of the photographer.

Thousands of people drive by the giant smoke stack on the bayfront in Erie, PA every day and wonder "What in the world is that thing?" Well, their words are probably a little more graphic than that, but you get the idea.

You can't miss it, even if you are speeding along on the Bayfront Highway. It's HUGE! 

The smokestack had a purpose. At one time, it was a vital part of the Penelec substation, supplying electricity to the City of Erie. The coal pile on the left side of the picture was a couple of stories high. One building from this complex still stands, and is the home of the Erie Maritime Museum. It's roughly in the center of this picture. The building between the Maritime Museum and the smokestack was demolished; you can drive from State Street to Holland Street on East Front Street.

Construction on the brand new Blasco Memorial Library was completed in 1996. The Hirt Auditorium was added to the south side of the Maritime Museum.

The old Grain Elevator, which has since been demolished, is visible to the northeast of the Maritime Museum. Here is a link to a picture of it from a different angle: http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/11/grain-elevator-demolition-1986-erie-pa.html

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

Coal Train and Freighters on East Erie Bayfront

Unloading coal at Erie, PA. Photo by John E. Baker. Used with permission of the photographer.

Here's a shot from the bluff on Front Street in Erie, PA looking north toward the Perry Monument on Presque Isle State Park. John E. Baker captured this great shot showing boxcars full of coal and logs on the lower East Side. The buildings shown in this picture have since been demolished, and most of the railroad tracks are gone. There are still huge piles of sand and gravel at the site on the right. This shot was taken between German and Parade Streets.

The ship on the right appears to be the Sparrows Point, a 616' Great Lakes freighter owned by Bethlehem Steel. I can't see enough of the pilot house for the ship on the right, but, judging by the mark on the stack, it might be another Bethlehem freighter. They used to haul coal, iron ore, limestone and stone material between different ports on the Great Lakes. A number of these freighters were tied up each season for a winter lay-up in the bay. 

Here is a shot of the Grain Elevator, which was slightly west of the photo shown above: http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/07/grain-elevator-erie-pa-bayfront-prr.html

Waldameer Tin Can Day July 15, 1927 Erie, PA

Waldameer Amusement Park ad in the Erie Dispatch-Herald from 1927.

This ad from the Erie Dispatch-Herald made me laugh. Tin Can Day at Waldameer Park in Millcreek Township, PA.

"Boys and Girls Save Your Tin Cans! Any old can and 3¢ entitles you to a ticket good on any ride. The more tin cans you bring to Waldameer the more rides you get!

One can and 3¢ for one ride.

No limit to the number of cans you bring, so put your cans on a string and come to Waldameer Friday, July 15th, 1927."

Can you imagine some kid dragging twenty tin cans behind him on his way to Waldameer? I wonder what the park did with all the tin cans?

Here is an ad which includes the Top Ten rides at Waldameer Park in 1941: Top Ten Rides at Waldameer Park in 1941.

Find more fun ads and fascinating photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at Old Time Erie

Public Dock in 1960 covered in snow

Public Dock in 1960 covered in snow

Erie Steamboat Landing in 1960. Photo by Chet Wasielewski. ©Debbi Lyon 2012.

Here's a shot of the Public Dock on State Street in Erie, PA taken 1960, when it was still called the Public Steamboat Landing. There is a Koehler's billboard on the top of the building on the right, and an ore carrier in its winter berth. The dock is blocked off with yellow barriers so cars could not drive onto the dock when there was too much snow or ice. This photo was taken a little bit north of East Front Street. This area was under construction (in the spring of 2012) so that the bridge which takes State Street over the bay could be replaced. The Dock has always been a hot tourist attraction for locals and visitors to Erie, Pennsylvania.

The new Koehler electric sign on the east side of the public dock was installed in July of 1952. The Public Steamboat Landing is now known as Dobbins Landing. The Bicentennial Tower is part of the Dobbins Landing complex. Erie has Pennsylvania's sole port on Lake Erie.

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