Top 10 Causes of Death in Erie, PA in 1946

June 1947 Erie's Health drawn by Helen P. Thurlow.

Sad to say, I don't have any fun facts about Erie. This post is pretty grim. One thousand five hundred and eighteen people died in the City of Erie, PA in 1946. The death rate per 1,000 population was 11.6. The number one cause of death?   Heart Disease

"Heart disease continues to rise and continues to be the greatest killer of mankind. There were 60 more such deaths in 1946 over 1945. Cancer is still unopposed for the second most common cause of death, although there were forty less deaths from that disease then in 1945. Apoplexy has shown a slightly lower trend for the past ten years. Pneumonia deaths have shown a gradual decline for practically the same period. Accidental deaths have shown a decline for the past three years, but the increase, already noted in automobile deaths, will probably tend to end this decline.

The epidemic of gastro-intestinal infection in young infants, which spread over the entire nation last year, accounted for this cause of death being elevated into the first ten causes of death in 1946. It also accounted for our highest infant mortality rate in a number of years. Diseases of early infancy and kidney diseases remained rather stationary. 1946 shown the gradual increase in diabetes deaths which has been evident for several years." -City of Erie Board of Health, June 1947.

Top 10 Causes of Death in the City of Erie in 1946:
1.   Heart disease, responsible for 528 deaths.
2.   Cancer, the cause of 193 deaths. 
3.   Apoplexy, 153 deaths.
4.   Pneumonia (all kinds), 84 deaths.
5.   Accidents, 61 deaths.
6.   Gastro-enteritis, claimed 50 children under two years of age.
7.   Nephritis (Bright's Disease), 47 deaths.
8.   Diseases of early infancy, including congenital deformities, 30 deaths.
9.   Diabetes, 27 deaths.
10. Tuberculosis (all kinds), 25 deaths.

For comparisons sake, here is a list from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Top 10 Causes of Death in the U.S. in 2010:
1.   Heart Disease
2.   Cancer
3.   Chronic lower respiratory disease
4.   Stroke
5.   Accidents
6.   Alzheimer's disease
7.   Diabetes
8.   Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis
9.   Influenza and pneumonia
10. Intentional self-harm (suicide)

Find more facts about Erie on my Erie History Blog

Top 20 Ethnic Clubs in Erie 1952

Listings from the 1952 Club Directory.

There were a number of clubs that catered to the various ethnic groups in Erie in 1952 which are better known by their nicknames. A few that come to mind are the PP Club, the PNA Club and the CYS Club. And let's not forget the Hooksie Dooksie!

Pratola-Peligna Society: The PP Club. 1601 Plum St., Erie, PA. The club had 450 members including social and beneficial. Annual dues were $12 for beneficial and $1 for social members. Officers included John Gamble, Albert DiLoreto, Nick Bianchi, Patsy DiLoreto, Oliver Franz, Louis Semintilli, Louis Benacci and Gino Cargiole.

American Jugo Slav Club. 136 West 17th St., Erie, PA. Officers of the club included Harry Christensen, Philip Marnella and Robert Fischer.

Arbeiters Gesang Verien Club: Arbeiters Club. 324 East 18th St., Erie, PA. The club had six bowling lanes. Annual dues were $1.20. Officers included Joseph L. Nies, Theodore Monahan, Michael Nowak and E. Andrick.

Calabrese Club di Monte Carmelo: Calabrese Club. 509 West 16th St., Erie, PA. Officers of the club were Jack Fatica, Patsy Fratto, Anthony Presogna, Joseph DeFazio, Anthony DeFazio, Nick DeLaura, Dan Presogna, Ted Chimenti, Joseph Pillitieri and Louis DeLaura. The club had eight bowling lanes. Annual dues were $12 for regular and $3 for social members. Activities included bowling leagues and floor shows.

Cesare Battisti Club, 301 German St., Erie, PA. Officers included Paul DeDionisio, Frank Damico, Armand Chimente, Anthony Chimente, Al. DeDionisio, Anthony Mando, Marc Alberico and Edward DeLuca. The club had 200 beneficial members, whose dues were $12 per year, and 300 social members whose dues were $1.20 per year. Initiation fees were $5-10 depending on age.

Circolo Nazionale: National Club.

Community of Young Staroobriadcy: CYS Club. 155 East 2nd St., Erie, PA. Officers included Fred Simon, John Petroff, Fred Orloff, Charles Pancerev and Matt Federoff. The club had 900 members. 

Danish Club, 1114 West 8th St., Erie, PA. Officers included Peter Larsen, Harry Sorensen, Wylie Hansen and Andrew Nielsen. the club had 400 members and annual dues were $1.

Graeco Americus Society. 1511 Peach St., Erie, PA. Officers included Charles Ramandanes and Gus Katos.

Gwardja Huzarow-Karzmierz Pulaskiego i Tad. Kosciuski: Huzars Club. 1120 East 10th St., Erie, PA. Officers included Adolph Prawdzik, Edward Maciukiewicz, Paul Lipiec, Joseph Dworakowski, Edwin Slupski and Joseph Zielonka. Incorporated in 1935. The club had 900 members. Annual dues were $4.20 for beneficial and $1 for social members. Activities included bowling and softball leagues and dancing.

Holy Trinity Portugese Association: Portugese Club. 1043 West 5th St., Erie, PA. Officers included Harold Fratus, John Costa, Anthony Costa, Joseph Viera, Carlo Santo and John Maio.

Lithuanian Alliance of America, Lodge No. 216. 806 Parade St., Erie, PA. Officers included Anthony Matulevick, John McShane, Joseph Zdunski, Catherine Matulevick and Joseph McShane. The club was incorporated in 1946. The club had 1,426 members. Annual dues were $1.

Nuova Aurora Society. 1518 Walnut St., Erie, PA. Officers included Simone Fromzaglia, Elmer Mazzei, M. J. Leone, Anthony DiCorpo, Leon DiCecco, Frank Necci and Dan Carbone. Incorporated in 1907. The club had 2,200 members. Activities included mushball, baseball and bowling leagues.

Polish National Alliance: PNA Club. 557 East 21st St., Erie, PA. Officers included Vincent Chrostowski, Joseph Rogers, Walter Kanonczyk, Joseph Kozlowski and Edmund Cieslak. Incorporated in 1936. The club had 1,500 members. Activities included a drum and bugle corps, bowling, dancing and a slow pitch league.

Polish National Club. 2114 Wallace St., Erie, PA. Officers included Joseph Wisniewski, Edmund Olszewski, Paul Kita, F. Benes and Frank Martyna. Incorporated in 1918. The club had 275 members.

Polish Sharpshooters Club. 650 East 12th St., Erie, PA. Officers included Joseph Lewandowski, John Cleramadzki, Snelly Sandusky and Andy Desser. The club had six bowling lanes.

Russian American Club. 262 East 3rd Street, Erie, PA. Officers included John Mickol, Alex Puchinsky, Stanley Lata, Nick Maly and Daniel Zuk. The club had 750 members.

Slovak National Club. 902 Hess Avenue, Erie, PA. Officers included William Galla, Michael Bules, John Krkoska, John Bebko and Stephen Duska. 

Slovak Social Club. 902 Pennsylvania Avenue, Erie, PA. Officers included Anthony Samol, Francis Palkovic and John Duska. Incorporated in 1942. The club had 500 members. 

Societa Dimutuo Soccorso di Pennapiedimonte: Penn Club.

Societa Nazionale Dimutuo Soccorso Dimontenero Valcocchiaro Club: Monty Club.

Thadeus Kosciuszko Branch No. 610: Polish Falcons Club. 602 East 19th St., Erie, PA. Officers included Joseph Walczak, Leo Hokaj, Ed Zasada and Joseph (Gardner) Ogrowczyk. The club had six bowling lanes. Annual dues were $3.

Ulpia Traiana Society: Roumanian Club. 1133 Pennsylvania Avenue, Erie, PA. Officers included Florian Hada, George Romocea, John Gaspar, Thomas Radu, Tom Jackson, Jacob Luca and Charles Dumbravo. Incorporated in 1906. The club two bowling lanes and 450 members.  

If you have more information about these clubs circa 1952, or know of any ethnic clubs that I have forgotten to list, please send me an e-mail. Surely one of you has old membership cards tucked away somewhere.

Find more historic photos and and a fun Erie history blog at: Old Time Erie

1930 Erie County Highway Map

1930 Pennsylvania Department of Highways map.

When tourists came to Presque Isle State Park or Waldameer in 1930, they had far fewer choices in planning their trip. This was long before interstates I-90 or I-79 were built, and there were a lot of dirt backroads and side streets. The Sproul Road Bill, which was approved in 1911, created the State Highway System in Pennsylvania. 

State Highway Routes included SR79 (which appears to be the present-day Route 6-N); SR99 (now Route 5?); State Route 18, SR98, SR 955, SR 505, SR 832 and SR 89 appear to have retained the same numbers.

There were three National Routes in Erie County in 1930, shown on this map as Route 20 (West Ridge Road, West 26th Street and Buffalo Road); Route 19 (Peach Street); and Route 6 (which I think was later changed to Route 97). These stretched much farther than the regular state highway routes.

Early roads were made with bricks or macadamized. Some were paved with other materials much earlier than I realized. Bids for roadwork commissioned by the PA State Highway Department were opened on January 22, 1918 for the following jobs: Route 272 in Millcreek Township (now called Route 20), 13,750 feet in length, reinforced concrete (Joseph McCormick bid $76,395); Route 87 (now called Route 5) in Harborcreek Twp., 15,050 feet in length, material not stated (Joseph McCormick bid $82,018) -Municipal Journal, February 2, 1918.

There were several alternate forms of transportation in Erie in 1940. The New York Central and the Pennsylvania Railroad made regular stops at Union Station; the New York, Chicago & St. Louis (Nickel Plate) had a terminal at 211 East 19th St. and the Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad was located at 121 West 12th Street. 

The Union Bus Depot, at 12 North Park Row in Perry Square was the terminal for Greyhound, West Ridge Transportation Co. and Harmony Short Line. You could hop on an Erie Coach Company bus at multiple points in Erie and ride for a dime. Taxi service was available at a rate of 30 cents for the first minute and five cents for each additional one-third of a minute. A round trip ride on a ferry boat from the Public Steamboat Landing at the foot of State to Waterworks Park at the Peninsula would set you back a quarter in 1940. American Air Lines offered four flights daily departing from Port Erie, the predecessor to the Erie International Airport -Pennsylvania Guide to the Keystone State (WPA, 1940). 

There were seven hotels, including the swanky Lawrence Hotel, along with all the little cabins and motels along Route 20 from the Ohio line to the New York border. There were also plenty of service stations, where the attendant would pump gas, pop the hood to check the oil, top off other fluids if needed and check the pressure in your tires. 

When did it become a "convenience" to pump your own gas? A friend brought this up recently and it made me realize how inconvenient it is to stop, get out, pump gas, run to the store, stand in line, pay, hop back in the car, turn the key and zoom off to my destination. It was kind of fun when I first started to drive, but not anymore. Ettwein's still pumps gas for their customers, but I can't think of any other stations that do.

Back to the subject at hand. I'm a map geek and I may post more of these in the future if I get enough requests.

Find more historic facts and photos of Erie, PA at Old Time Erie

Antique Koehler Beer Bottle Opener

Antique bottle openers from Koehler's, Wayne Brewery and W. E. McClelland courtesy of B. Chambers.

If you love local local history and collect memorabilia from Erie, Pennsylvania businesses, you may recognize these antique bottle openers. First we have an old Koehler Beer opener in the upper left-hand corner. This was used before the new twist off caps were designed for glass bottles.The Wayne Brew bottle opener looks an awful lot like a shoe horn. The final opener, complete with a corkscrew to open a bottle of wine, was given to customers who bought a new Oldsmobile at the W. E. McClelland dealership in Erie. William McClelland worked as a salesman for his friend Jake Roth in the forties, then ran his own company. 

After awhile, these items were delegated to the junk drawer in the kitchen. You know the one, with mismatched buttons, old shoe laces, an ice pick, a nutcracker, the tool for digging walnuts out of the shell, wheat pennies, the owner's manual for the oven, clicky pens that stopped writing twenty years ago, match books advertising restaurants, playing cards, mismatched dice, Monopoly pieces and every other trinket that was considered too valuable to throw away.

The Erie County Historical Society and BrewErie presented a night of local beer history on March 12, 2014. The sold-out event featured a special BrewErie pint of pre-prohibition era formula Koehler Beer, exceptional Erie brewing archival images and collections from the ECHS holdings! 

Click here to see the old Koehler Clock on State Street. and here for a Wayne Brewing Company ad.

Find more facts about Erie at Old Time Erie

Academy High School Rocked the Court

Academy High School basketball coach Don Zonno with Bob Thomas and Fred Williams around 1963. Photo courtesy Erie School District.

The more respect you give the more you are likely to receive. Don Zonno (1931-2013) lived by this motto. He taught by example and was an educator, coach and later principal at Academy High School at 2825 State Street in Erie, PA. In the early 1960s, Mr. Zonno lead a powerhouse basketball team which included Bob Thomas and Fred Williams, shown in the photo above. 

Bob Thomas (AHS '64) led the city in scoring for three consecutive years. Academy High School finished second in the City and Sectionals for the 1962-63 season.

"Academy's 'hot and cold' Lions, as they were called by the newspaper, proved to be mostly hot by remaining in contention for the sectional and city championship throughout the year. Although off to a slow start the surprising Lions astounded everyone by capturing the first annual Scholastic Invitational Tournament. Bob Thomas' field goal in the last two seconds of play gained the victory over Tech in the championship game...Bob Thomas led the team and the league in scoring...The hustling leadership of Freddy Williams was also instrumental as was Coach Zonno, in his first year of varsity coaching." -The Academe, 1962.

Other players from this era included Walt Crosby, Mike Trott, Dave Stingel and Everette Williams.

To sum it up, the team with the highest scoring player in the City of Erie for three consecutive years? Check. Top seed in local competition? Check. Nothing but net? Check. This is one team that will long be remembered. 

Find more historic facts and photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at Old Time Erie

Steel Beams For City Hall

The new Erie, PA City Hall under construction in 1963 with the old City Hall in the background.

The steel beams arrived for the new Erie City Hall in June of 1963 and the crew of the H. Platt Company started to construct the frame on the southwest corner of State and South Park Row. This was the site of the original Erie Trust Building and later the newer Elks Club. The old City Hall, seen in the photo above, was on the southeast corner of Peach and South Park Row. Gannon's Old Main (the Strong Mansion) is visible in the lower right hand corner of the photo.

The new City Hall was 245 long on the South Park Row side and 160 feet in length along State Street. Parts of the building were five stories high with a basement, and other parts were one story high with a basement. There was surface and below ground parking on the Peach Street side. The Erie Police Department shooting range and the Erie City Jail was located in the northwest portion of the main building. The office of Erie Mayor Lou Tullio was also located in this structure.

Architects Nelson, Goldberg & Heidt designed the building. Perry Truck & Erection Company rigged the I-beams. William T. Spaeder provided heating, cooling and air conditioning, and Church & Murdock installed the electrical work.

Find more historic photos and facts about Erie, Pennsylvania at Old Time Erie

Peter Pulakos Chocolates at 11th and Liberty

Peter Pulakos Tradition House at 11th and Liberty in Erie, PA circa 1955.

Peter Pulakos Tradition House was located on Liberty between 10th and 11th Streets in Erie, PA. Even though the picture shown above was taken in the fifties, a decade before I was born, something about it looked very familiar. I figured it out pretty quickly, thanks to Google Maps. The Salvation Army! I spent many hours there during the summer shooting hoops, playing bumper pool and eating pork rinds.

The Pulakos family started manufacturing and selling home-made chocolate and candy in Erie in 1903. Brothers Peter, Stephen and August Pulakos inherited Pulakos Candies business at 1108 State Street from their father, George P. Pulakos, in 1913. The brothers moved to 926 State Street in 1916. Peter Pulakos always considered the windows to be the eyes of the store, and saw to it that all his stores, including the location on Liberty Street, made the best use of the display space so it was visible from the street.

The old Pulakos building on the left still stands, but has a different sign on the front. It's now the center part of the Salvation Army at 1022 Liberty Street. The house on the right was demolished years ago and replaced with a two-story brick building.

Find more obscure facts and old photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at Old Time Erie

Nine Voter Registration Rules In 1902

Election rules were much stricter in 1902 according to the voting regulations for the City of Erie, PA. Women were ineligible to vote at that time, and could not do so until the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1920. 

Voting in Erie, PA in 1902 was restricted to men who met the following nine Qualifications of Voters:

1. He shall have been a citizen of the United States at least one month.

2. He shall have resided in the State one year (or, if, having previously been a citizen of the State, he shall have removed therefrom and returned in six months) immediately preceding the election.

3. He shall have resided in the election district, where he shall offer to vote, at least two months immediately preceding the election. 

4. If 22 years of age, or upwards, he shall have paid within two years a State or County tax, which shall have been assessed at least two months and paid at least one month before the election.

5. The naturalization of the father, ipso facto, makes his minor children, then residing in the United States, citizens.

6. Any foreigner residing in the United States, from the age of 16 or under, may at the age of 21, become a citizen, without any previous declaration of intention.

7. Any foreigner, 21 years of age, who has been honorably discharged from the U.S. Army, may become a citizen after a residence of one year in the United States, and without any previous declaration of intention.

8. Any foreigner (except Chinamen) three years on board a U.S. merchant vessel, may, after he is honorably discharged, become a citizen, providing he has declared his intention three years previously.

9. Any foreigner coming into the United States after he is 21 years of age may become a citizen, after a residence of five years or upwards, provided he has declared his intention to do so at least two years previously.

Find more historic facts and photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at Old Time Erie

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

Electricity Cures Nervous Debility

Are you suffering from a acute or chronic disease? Are you nervous and weak, frightened by every little noise or shadow? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might find the cure to be quite shocking.

Electricity Cures When Everything Else Fails

Or so claimed Doctors John E. Scanlan and Mary Scanlan in a classified advertisement in the Erie Morning Dispatch on Sept. 9, 1878. The couple operated an "institution" at 163 East 12th Street in Erie, PA. It appears that they treated medical conditions and neurological disorders "by application of galvanism, magnetism and electricity in its various modifications." 

Medical Electricians were not taken seriously by actual Medical Doctors, or by many other educated people. Check out the book "The Medical Electricians: Dr. Scott and his Victorian Cohorts in Quackery" by Robert K. Waits for more information about this field of study.

I'll have to look through the old city directories and see how long John Scanlan's business venture lasted. The house where the Scanlan's practiced is now the parking lot of the Family Dollar store on East 12th and Holland St. in Erie.

Enjoy more random facts about Erie, PA at: Old Time Erie

Schultz Warehouse on Parade Street

The three buildings on the southwest corner of 16th and Parade in Erie, PA have an interesting history. The smaller brick building on the left was Schultz's Wholesale Cash and Carry, which was located at 1612 Parade St. (at the site of a warehouse run by Charles Newkirk in the 1920s). If your parents or grandparents had a corner store in Erie, they probably stocked their business with items purchased here. Mr. Schultz had a variety of things, including showcases and store fixtures, school supplies, lamps and fans. You could also stock up on cigars, Necco candies, salted nuts, playing cards, razor blades and shoe polish. Fountain supplies included glassware, straws, Coca-Cola, Canada Dry, Saegertown and Borden's malted milk. They sold paper items such as Dixie Cups, napkins, envelopes, kraft bags, etc.

Arthur F. Schultz Company was located in the middle building, at 1608 Parade St. This retail business has been around for nearly one hundred years, having morphed into a huge furniture and appliance retailer. This brick building was constructed around 1914 and still bears the Schultz name in large white letters. When this card was used in the 1930s, Arthur F. Schultz sold confections and tobacco, which he used to deliver in a horse-drawn carriage. The A. F. Schultz Company later moved into the old Erie Silk Mills factory at 26th and Cascade St. in Erie.

The Germer Stove Company manufactured the Radiant Home base burner stove at 1602 Parade Street, the brick building on the right. This brick warehouse was built in 1875 on the corner of 16th and Parade, just south of the railroad tracks. Edward Germer was the president of Germer Stove, and his son Edward Jr. was the secretary of the company. Sales of the old claw foot cast iron stoves waned with the advent of natural gas and hot water furnaces. Some of the ornate Germer Stoves with art tiles, mica doors and medallions sell for a few thousand dollars to antique collectors today.

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

Ariel Building at 8th and State

The Ariel Building sat on the northeast corner of 8th and State Street in Erie, PA. At ten stories high, this building towered above others in the same block. It was completed in 1917 and stood for a mere 53 years before falling victim to the wrecking ball. Pittsburgh architects Arlen & Harlow designed this building, which was just shy of 150 feet, and very narrow.

The Erie Lighting Company occupied the lobby and second floor of the Ariel Bldg. when this photo was taken in 1924. Real estate agents Harper & Russell had an office on the third floor. Architect C. Paxton Cody was on the fourth floor. Attorney Isador Sobel had offices on the seventh floor. Andrews Land Company was on the eighth floor and attorney John Rilling was on the tenth floor. 

The number of floors is a little bit misleading, because there was a basement, a lobby and a mezzanine under the second floor. By 1968, about half of the offices were vacant.

The Ariel Building was within walking distance of the federal courthouse and the Erie County Courthouse, making it the ideal location for attorneys and real estate agents. 

This building was torn down in 1970. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield at 717 State Street in Erie, Pennsylvania currently occupies this site.

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Koehler Brewery 1888 Trifecta Erie PA

-ad in Cooke, Howard & Co. Erie PA 1888 directory.

The Koehler family members are amongst the best-known brewers from Erie, Pennsylvania. Charles Koehler, the patriarch of the family, had a brewery on 26th and Holland Street. Following his death in 1869, his sons- Fred, Louis and Jackson Koehler, carried on his business.

By 1888, the sons had their own businesses. Fred Koehler & Co. was located at the corner of 26th and Holland Streets. Fred was a partner of Adolph L. Curtze.

Louis Koehler owned the City Bottling Works at 1311 State Street. In addition to beer, he bottled and manufactured ginger ale, pop, birch beer, pear cider and mineral water.

Jackson Koehler, owner of the Eagle Brewery at 22nd and State Street, was the brewer that most people are familiar with. By 1895, Jackson was brewing 30,000 barrels of beer per year.

Find more historic facts and photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at Old Time Erie

Elk's Club on State Street in Erie, PA

Elk's Club on South Park Row and State Street. Photo by Chet Wasielewski, ©2012 Debbi Lyon.

Notice anything unusual about this picture? 

• Cars used to travel in the opposite direction around Perry Square
• The Elk's Club at the corner of South Park Row and State Street has been demolished
• The Earle Hotel is no more
• There were beautiful, tall trees in Perry Square
• The new City Hall in Erie, PA was not yet built

The image that you see above was taken from the curb near Gannon's Old Main (the old Strong Mansion) on 6th and Peach Street looking east.

Here's a photo looking down at the Elk's Club from the Richford Arms Hotel.

Here's a shot of the Elk's Club sign from 7th and State before it was razed.

The Elk's Club is included in a list of the Top 100 Clubs in Erie in 1959.

Find more fun facts and old photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at Old Time Erie

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