Gone Fishing at Four Mile Creek

When I look at old postcards I find it odd that people dressed so well to go fishing, to a picnic or to the beach. Take these young boys for instance. No hip waders here. They look like they just went to church and decided to catch dinner on the way home. Maybe that's why they are using tree limbs as fishing poles.

This scenic photo was taken near the Lawrence Park Gold Club, which was established in 1921. Are these young men spending some quality time with their fathers at the mouth of Four Mile Creek? The man in the middle looks like he is standing in the water all by himself, looking out at Lake Erie. I hope the boys had a bucket to carry their fish home in.

The S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie sponsor a pretty cool program to encourage sport fishing in Erie County. You can check out a fishing pole and a tackle box for free at the Blasco Memorial Library on the Bayfront or the Iroquois Avenue Branch Library in Lawrence Park. 

And here's a little bit of fishing history: A new fish hatchery was built in Erie in 1914. Fishing licenses were first required in 1922, when a resident fishing license cost $1. The fee was raised to $1.50 in 1928 and to $2 in 1948. The Pennsylvania Fish Commission collected $207,425.53 the first year. The daily creel limit for trout was set at 25 in 1925. Other limits were: 10 bass, 10 walleye, 15 pickerel and 3 muskies.

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

GE Built 3,000 Volt Locomotives

Old Time Erie GE publicity still contributed by Jack Sheehan.

The train pictured above packed a lot of power when it was completed on November 3, 1927. This 3,000 volt electric locomotive was made at the General Electric plant in Lawrence Park. This workhorse was made for the Paulista Railway Company in Brazil. There are more than two dozen men pictured with the final product, each one playing a part in its design and assembly. It would have taken a mighty crane to set the parts of this 150 ton behemoth up on blocks, and then to roll it off onto the railroad tracks.

Tom Sheehan is on top of the cab, the fifth man from the right. Tom lived at 1052 Rankine Avenue in Lawrence Park with his family. He rose to the rank of foreman and died in 1947 following an illness. GE made quality products in Erie County, Pennsylvania that were sold to customers all over the world. There was a time when two or three generations from the same family worked at GE. This photo may have been taken in Building 10. GE Transportation Systems is on Eastlake Road between Water Street and Franklin Avenue. Its one of the largest employers in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

Enjoy more facts and photos of Erie History at: Old Time Erie

Four Mile Creek- Lawrence Park- GE Athletic Field

This old drawing of Lawrence Park appeared in the Erie Dispatch-Herald on December 2, 1934. Water Street used to be called Lawrence Parkway between East Lake Road and the main gate for General Electric. It was called Crowley Road before that. The old GE Athletic Field is right in the center, bordered by Water Street and Four Mile Creek. GE had some of the top football, baseball and soccer teams in the thirties and forties, and would entice top athletes with to play in return for easier shop jobs.

The dotted lines on the map show the proposed change to the path of Four Mile Creek, spearheaded by Lawrence Park Commissioners Charlie Thompson and J. J. Kennedy, for the creation of Napier Park. "As the sketch shows the park lays along Four-Mile Creek and extends from the bridge on East Lake Road to the bridge on Main st. and comprises 11 acres which will be graded and landscaped."