Soap Box Derby at the Dock

Soap Box Derby on State Street in Erie, PA on July 31, 1935. Old Time Erie photo by William Liebler. 

It's finally here! The big day. The event everyone has been waiting for. The Soap Box Derby! Hundreds of people lined both sides of State Street to see local boys participate in this race on July 31, 1935. Events like these were held all over the country, building an estimated 50,000 cars. The champion of each city went on to the national race.

"On August 11th at Akron, Ohio, the finals drew a crowd of between 75,000 and 90,000 people who watched Maurice E. Bale, Jr., age 13, of Anderson, Indiana, race down the incline to become the 1935 Soap Box Derby Champion." -Boys Life (May 1936).

There was a lot at stake for the boys. The first place national champion won a four-year college scholarship; 2nd place won a Chevrolet Master Coach and third place won a Chevrolet Standard Coach.The first boy who won the local derby in Erie, PA is shown at 5:09 in this short film of the 1936 All American Derby racing in the elimination trials Akron, OH. It's pretty exciting to watch the race, and it's no wonder so many spectators showed up. 

Find more historical facts about Erie, Pennsylvania at Old Time Erie.

Where in the World is Weigelville?

Detail from a 1900 Sanborn Fire Map at 26th & Brown Ave in Erie, PA.

Where in the world in Weigelville? It's right in our backyard, if you happen to live in the City of Erie, PA. "Weigeltown or Weigelville, as it is variously called, at the intersection of Brown's Avenue with the Ridge Road, was named after George Weigel, Sr., who bought fifty acres in 1833, and laid out the Ridge road front into building lots. The hotel at Weigeltown was long a famous stopping place for parties coming to and driving from Erie. The village was then a mile and a half from the original borough limits." -Nelson's Biographical and Historical Reference Book of Erie County (1896).

"During the year 1828, a colony of 'Pennsylvania Dutch' reached the township [of Millcreek] from Lancaster County, consisting of George Weigel, Martin Warfel, Samuel Brenneman, Thomas Mohr, Jacob Metzler and others, followed by Jacob Charles in 1829." -Nelson's.

Looking for a Erie History Blog? You'll find it here.

Bicyclist at the Erie County Courthouse

Bicyclist in fron of the Erie County Courthouse circa 1904.

Thousands of people have passed through the doors at the Erie County Courthouse. Think of how many young couples applied for marriage licenses. Or sat in a courtroom as an attorney, jurist, victim, witness or defendant. Children involved in custody battles, estranged couples filing for a divorce. Descendants filing an estate for a dearly departed parent. Perps in handcuffs escorted by a sheriff's deputy. Immigrants filing for citizenship. Members of the military filing their DD-214 separation papers in the Veteran's Affairs office for safekeeping. Genealogists researching their family tree. The man standing next to his bicycle. The list goes on and on. The County Courthouse, at 140 West 6th street, is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Erie County, PA.

Find more Old Time Erie pictures at my Erie History Blog.

The Mystery of the Man in the Uniform

Take a close look at the gentleman shown in this mystery photo. A friend of mine saved this picture from going to the landfill and we are both curious about his story. Was he in the Army? If so, do you know what unit or regiment wore this style of double-breasted wool jacket?

I don't see any obvious clues about the rank of this man. There are no stripes, badges or insignia. The buttons may hold the key. Unfortunately, the image is too fuzzy to make out any details. The photograph was mounted in a large, oval frame, the style that was popular in the twenties and thirties. Could this be a World War I era photo?

There is not much detail shown in his shoes or legs, so it's hard to tell if he is wearing leather boots, canvas leggings or wool puttees.

The cap looks similar to old ones worn by members of the American Legion, but once again, there are no visible post numbers.

Please leave a comment if you have any knowledge about the uniform or, better yet, the name of the man in the picture.

Find more historical facts about northwest Pennsylvania on the Erie history blog Old Time Erie.

Ainsworth Field Entrance Circa 1967

Ainsworth Field in Erie, PA prior to its renovation.

Thousands of fans have passed through the gates at Ainsworth Field in Erie, PA. The ballpark is located at West 23rd and Washington Place, right behind Roosevelt School. Baseball legend Babe Ruth played here. So did the Erie Sailors and the Erie Cardinals. The Erie Tigers, a name that is almost lost to history, played one season at Ainsworth in 1967. Their logo is painted above the old entrance to Ainsworth, aiding in dating this photo of the park prior to its renovation.

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

145th PA Volunteers Deserters List

Descriptive List of Deserters courtesy of Pennsylvania State University. 

I debated writing about the deserters of the 145th Pennsylvania Volunteers. The purpose is not to tarnish the names of any families, but to point you to a seldom used source for genealogical research. The example shown above is from the Descriptive List of Deserters from the 145th Regiment of Pennsylvania State Volunteers, which I have included because it lists a number of men from Erie Co. 

Many researchers are aware of Samuel P. Bates' History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-65, which lists name, rank, regiment, company and the date the person mustered in and out of the service. This series also tells if he was wounded or died of wounds or sickness while on active duty. The Descriptive List of Deserters gives some additional biographical information, including a physical description (age, height, complexion and color of eyes and hair), place of birth, residence at enlistment and occupation, place of enlistment or enrollment and the name of the officer who enrolled said person.

Surprisingly, deserters were not limited to privates; there were plenty of men of rank, including corporals and sergeants. In the photo shown above, Edwin M. Kelsey, a private in Co. K, 145th PA Vol., age 50, was 5'4.5", had a dark complexion, black eyes and black hair. He was born in Erie County, PA and was a seaman. Edwin resided in Erie Co. when he was assigned to this regiment on August 8, 1862 by Capt. Walker. He deserted on August 31, 1863 from the U.S. General Hospital.

The 111 men on the descriptive list held a variety of jobs prior to joining the 145th, including a butcher, a blacksmith, a carpenter, a cooper, a bar tender, a farmer, a shoemaker, a fisherman and a liquor dealer, to name a few. Ages ranged from 18 to 50 years old.

Click here to view the list of 111 deserters from the 145th PA Volunteer Infantry.

Find more historical sources and facts about Erie, PA at Old Time Erie.

Hammermill Bird's Eye View

Bird's Eye View of Hammermill Paper Co. from a linen card.

Just dropping a quick note to let you know that I haven't forgotten about you. I decided to research my Irish ancestors on St. Patrick's Day and discovered that my great-great-great grandfather, Patrick F. Donnelly, was a veteran of the Civil War! Having survived that harrowing experience, he was one of 17 men who were killed in an explosion in a coal mine in Clinton County, Pennsylvania in November of 1888. So, you can see why I have been neglecting my Old Time Erie duties as of late. 

As I ease back into a routine, I thought you might enjoy a bird's eye view of the Hammermill Paper Company on East Lake Road in Erie, PA. The plant was purchased by International Paper and, as was the fate with many industries in the region, no longer exists.

Stay tuned for more historical facts and old photos of Erie, PA following this brief intermission.

Flip, Flop and Fry

W.P.A. photo by Frederick W. Ritter (1940).

Ice Fishing on Lake Erie   by Jim Peters
I was fourteen in 1949 and the winter was unusually cold in Erie. There was a lot of ice on the lake, so the lake effect snow was minimized, and there was smooth thick ice on the bay, and the perch were biting.

My father took me hunting or fishing almost every weekend of the year, and this cold Saturday morning in February was to be no exception. The only problem was that our old car would not start.  That immediately damped my fathers enthusiasm for going fishing, as he detested riding the bus to a fishing place and he decided he would rather say home and be warm. 

I however, was not daunted by the thought of riding the bus to the public dock,  (now Dobbins Landing), so I gathered my ice fishing equipment and headed for the bus stop at East Lake Road and Andrews Park Blvd..

Ice fishing equipment in those days was not very sophisticated. It consisted of a spud (a chisel to chop a hole in the ice), a scoop to remove the ice chunks, a minnow bucket and home made fishing poles that were merely a piece of wood with a old hack saw blade attached with a line guide soldered to the end and two pegs sticking out of the wood to wrap some line around.  Attached to the end of the line, was a sinker and a #6 snelled hook. The poles were carried in an eight quart splint basket, along with an extra pair of mittens, incase the ones you had on your hands got wet.

The buses on Lake Road (we lived in Lakeside) ran quite regular and on schedule, so the wait was not long, I paid my nickel, got a transfer and soon was at Perry Square. Buses to the public dock were few and far between in February, so after getting thoroughly chilled standing in the bus shelter, I put my transfer in a trash bucket and headed toward the dock. The walk down State Street took me past the Richford Hotel, the Army Surplus Store, Sitterlies Cigar Store, Brebners Ship Chandlery, the Home Restaurant and finally Hamot Hospital were I was born fourteen years earlier. At the bottom of the hill on the West Slip was Smith’s Bait Stand. “Gidge” Smith was the proprietor, a chubby little man with a big smile and a generous net to give you a bucket full of Emerald Shiners (minnows) for a quarter.

I was headed for the Cascade Docks, as there were two slips there that were usually good places to fish. That meant walking back up the hill and along the railroad tracks past the Ruberoid Factory, the Water Works, Chestnut Pool, and finally the Cascade Docks. By the time I got there, I was tired from carrying all that equipment and the heavy bucket of minnows.

During World War Two, there was a shipyard at the docks, were they made powered barges that made one-way trips across the ocean to deliver supplies and equipment to the fighting troops. My father worked there during the war, and because he had been a merchant seaman, he got to deliver the finished barges to New York City via the Erie Canal and the Hudson River. He then came home by train to begin working on another one.

I climbed over the rocks that formed the edge of the slip and walked onto the ice. Surprisingly, no one else was there, perhaps because it was probably ten degrees below zero, and any sane person would be somewhere warm. Our usual procedure was to chop one hole in the ice, drop a baited hook in and see if the fish were biting. If they were, we would chop more holes for more poles, and hopefully more fish.

I chopped my hole, dropped the baited hook and immediately got a bite and landed a nice yellow perch. I never chopped a second hole, as the fish were biting so fast and furious, I was catching one after another as fast as I could pull them in and rebait my hook. Eventually, I ran out of minnows. Spread out before me were perhaps one hundred fish, laying on the ice and frozen stiff. I thought to myself, that is enough, I’m tired, cold and hungry. I am going home.

The minnow bucket had an separate inner liner that I filled with fish, I filled the outer part of the bucket, and the splint basket and I still had fish left over. They were frozen stiff, so I thought why not just put them in my pockets. I did that, climbed over the rocks and headed down the railroad tracks toward State Street.  About the time I got to Chestnut Street, I realized I was trying to carry more than I could. My fingers were frozen stiff, as I was trying to carry two things in both hands. I devised a shuttle system were I would carry two things about one hundred yards ahead, drop them off and then go back for the rest of my gear. This worked fine, until I got to State Street were there people and potential thieves of my fish or fishing equipment. I finally got to Perry Square and safely onto the bus to Lawrence Park.

The bus was very warm, and I was thinking life was great, until we got to about East Avenue when I felt a thumping in my coat pocket. The fish were thawing out and coming back to life. My basket and buckets became a wiggling flopping mass of fish. They flopped onto the floor of the bus en mass. My coat pockets thumped like my heart was outside of my skin. Women shrieked. The bus driver stopped the bus and looked at me and said, “What the hell is going on here” “Please just get me to Downing Avenue” I pleaded. He drove off faster than I ever knew a bus to go, as I tried to contain my catch and my composure. I got off the bus, not really knowing if ever got all of the fish back into my containers.

I struggle into the back door of our house, put my flopping fish on the floor and took off my coat. My father put down his book, got up from his warm chair and said. “It looks like you had some luck. You better clean them while they are still fresh” I did not go fishing by myself for a long time after that.

Reminisce about the old days in Erie, PA at Old Time Erie

Big Jim Carter Awarded Purple Heart in WWII

James W. Carter ABMC webpage and Cleveland Call photo.

U. S. Army Technical Sergeant James W. Carter was killed in action during World War II while fighting in Luzon, an island in the Philippines. 

I first learned of his fate while reading a Cleveland, Ohio newspaper. "T-Sgt. James Walker Carter of 217 E. 17th St. met a heroes death on the island of Luzon April 23, according to word received by Miss Lillian Carter, his wife, from the War Department and Lt. Col. George D. Bunch of the 870th Aviation Engineers, who was his commanding officer. Carter was born 35 years ago in Richmond, VA, and met and married his wife in Philadelphia in 1939. He worked with contractors throughout the country and came to Erie in 1941 and was inducted there on January 6, [19443]. 

'Big Jim' as he was known to his friends, could have possibly avoided death if he had accepted the opportunity offered him just prior to the time his outfit left Jefferson Barracks, where he was stationed. An offer was made to him to serve as an M.P. which he refused because of his admiration for his friends, who would leave him behind if he chose M.P. duty; he had always been known as a man of action. Sgt. Carter was buried with full military honors April 24 on Luzon Island. He is Erie's second casualty of this war." -Cleveland Call and Post, May 26, 1945.

I did a little more searching and found an article about the 870th Engineers in a Baltimore, MD newspaper. "With two battle stars, construction of five major airdromes and a unit citation to their credit, all but 83 of the original 752 men of the 870th Engineer Aviation Battalion expect to be home for Christmas...During their 28 months of oversea's service only  one man, T/Sgt. James Carter, Erie, PA, was lost due to enemy action...Every man in the unit wears the gold wreath on his right sleeve, signifying the Unit Citation award for meritorious service on New Guinea. Battle stars are for the New Guinea and the Luzon campaigns." -The Afro-American, September 24, 1945.

The 870th was sent to Japan after T/Sgt. Carter died. Ranking officers thought it was hypocritical to try and change the government and economy of this nation. "First steps toward the democratization of Japan should be taken in America, in the opinion of ARC Field Director Alvin Turner and Capt. Ernest N. Mattison, chaplain, both Washingtonians serving with the 870th Engineer Aviation Battalion here.

'America is in error trying to democratize the rest of the world,' says Mr. Turner. 'People can be made to swallow a thing but they won't always digest it and the chances of making a democracy out of Japan are slim because this nation is fundamentally a feudalistic state.'

By treating people in the United States fairly, especially colored ones, the country can best prevail upon other nations to let the Golden Rule be the international creed, he continues." -The Afro-American, November 24, 1945.

The American Battle Monuments Commission maintains 24 overseas cemeteries and 26 memorials, monument and markers which memorialize the sacrifice of more than 218,000 U.S. servicemen and women.

Find more historical facts and photographs of Erie, Pennsylvania at Old Time Erie

Planes, Trains, Good Looks and Brains

A cute little girl coloring working on an art project. Photo courtesy of the Erie School District.

"I hope that cute little Fran Schanz will come over and teach me to draw. Hey, is he even watching me?" 

Of course I have no idea what this doe-eyed little girl is thinking, but it's fun to look at old pictures and try and imagine a scenario. It looks like this Erie School District student was studying planes, trains and automobiles, along with other modes of transportation like tricycles. Maybe her family was about to move far away because there is a 1955-era Allied Van Lines truck just to the right of her head. There might even be a '56 Chevy Nomad and a '56 Corvette pasted on the board. 

I remember decorating boards like this at the end of the hallway when I was in elementary school. I would bring in magazines like Woman's Day and Family Circle after my mom was done reading them, and use the little safety scissors to hack away and try to cut out a proper shape without lopping off an important piece of the picture. The next step was to apply an evenly spread layer of Elmer's glue to the back of the picture and try to stick it to the butcher's paper without wrinkling it or dropping it on the floor. 

It never failed that the little white container of Elmer's had a layer of caked on glue dribbled down the orange cap. I'd peel off the residue, twist the cap, squeeze, and get NOTHING! Then I'd have to untwist the entire cap, run it under water in the little sink, and hope the weird kid didn't have enough time to drink all my glue. 

OK, where was I? Oh, yeah. Being transported back in time to the days when I would peel off the wrappers and melt the crayons on the cast iron radiators next to the windows. 

Discover more weird and wonderful tales of Erie, Pennsylvania at Old Time Erie

West 12th And Lincoln Holds Many Memories

Interstate 79 at West 12th near Lincoln Avenue. Erie Conference on Community Development photo.

When Interstate 79 was extended from West 26th to West 12th Street in Erie, PA, it forever changed the community. For most people it meant a faster commute in or out of the City of Erie. For others, it was the final chapter for their homes and businesses. 

My friend Marylou remembers sitting down to a family meal in the back room at Serafini's when it was located at 1714 West 12th Street. Other friends, like Ron Damico and Barbara Woodside, think of their family home in the 1700 block of West 14th St. If you happened to live in this neighborhood in the 1950s, you might recall the Big Erie Market at the corner of 12th and Lincoln, DeBello's Restaurant (next to Serafini's Cafe), Grehl's Dry Cleaners, Kent Hardware or Hayes Motors. Or the cluster of gas stations, like Victory Service Station at 1702 West 12th, Kahwka Esso at 1741 West 12th or Young's Atlantic Service Station at 1748 West 12th.

How can you forget the Delaware Avenue Housing Projects, built in June of 1943 to help ease the housing shortage experienced by returning World War II veterans? Or Custer Drive?

"It will consist of 200 dwelling units at 12th and Delaware Avenue and will be ready for occupancy soon. This again is of a temporary nature, the total cost being only $716,000. Owing to scarcity of materials, the houses will be heated with old-fashioned coal stoves, and refrigeration will be with ice-boxes. This project is to be known as the Delaware Avenue Housing Project and is about two blocks from the west city limits." -Know Erie compiled by Emelia Bark, Teacher of Civics, Gridley Junior High, Erie, Pennsylvania.

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

I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag

Elementary school students reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Photo courtesy of the Erie School District.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America." This is how we started our school day every day all throughout elementary, middle and high school. After we arrived in our homeroom, the class would recite the Pledge of Allegiance in unison and there was always one kid who was a fraction of a second behind his classmates. And in my case, there was always one kid in the seat behind me pulling my pigtails. 

The one thing that always bugged me was the painting of George Washington. Why was it half-finished? Was President Washington too fidgety to sit for a portrait? If I would have raised my hand and asked this question in school I'm pretty sure I would have gotten an eraser bounced off of my head. 

We didn't have the old desks like the ones in this photo, but I understand that boys took great pleasure in dipping girls' ponytails into the inkwells. Speaking of desks, I got a job through CETA one summer and cleaned at Wilson Middle School in Erie, PA. One of my duties was to scrape bubblegum off of the underside of the desks. It was disgusting. Multi-colored, rock hard miniature stalactites. This was during the era when we used to make chains with bubblegum wrappers.  

Find more fun facts about Erie, Pennsylvania at Old Time Erie

Rolling Stones And Smashing Pumpkins

Erie Daily Dispatch, September 13, 1870.

Rolling stones gather no moss, neither do roving boys. And when your aim is true, you might smash a pumpkin or two.

"On Saturday night a little daughter of Mr. William Mallery, had a children's party at her father's house on East 11th street, and a crowd of uninvited boys, about twelve years of age, congregated there to have some sport at the expense of those in the house.

Several stones were thrown at the building, some of them going into the hallway, where also, a small pumpkin fell and was smashed. Mr. Mallery ran out and caught one of the boys, to whom he administered a flogging.

Yesterday morning John Nugent, Henry Klitz, Jacob Klitz, Frank Klick, Charles Evans, Adam Harley, Christian Downer, Conrad Firch, George Siegel and Frederick Gudenburg, were brought up before Justice Griffith, looking nice enough to make a teacher feel proud of them. They admitted the facts as to the participation of each with commendable candor and the prosecutor and Justice were both disposed to let them off lightly. They were given good advice and discharged on payment of costs, which amounted to $1.15 each."

I don't see any mention of criminal charges being brought against Mr. Mallery for whipping one of the kids. Times sure have changed.

Find more old Erie photos and crime blotters at Old Time Erie

Teenage Boys Trashed The Place

Article in Erie Daily Dispatch, Sept. 15, 1870.

When teenage boys are out roaming the streets, they're bound to get into trouble. In the old days, if they couldn't pay the fine, they did the time. These five young men found that out the hard way after they trashed the place and were caught by the police. 

"Not having been furnished with complimentary tickets to Elwood's Minstrels, they asserted their displeasure by climbing to the top of the sky-light, or ventilator, and throwing down rubbish upon the audience below. The young scamps continued this exercise until the performance was over, when the police made a raid on them, capturing... John Murphy, John Devlin, John Coney, Charles Ross and Edward Langdon...

They were taken to the police station, and had their trial before Justice Foster...They were all fined two dollars each and costs, and John Coney, Charles Ross, and Edward Langdon, being recognized as frequent offenders, were sent up for ten days. In default of payment of fines they were all committed to jail....

Their ages ranged from twelve to sixteen." -Erie Daily Dispatch, September 15, 1870.

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

Dirty Looks Rocked Erie in 1991

Dirty Looks, left to right: Ostergaard, Lidel, Pyers and Harris. Photo ©Debbi Lyon 2014.

Dirty Looks appeared at St. Boniface Community Center on Wattsburg Road in May of 1991. I interviewed lead singer Henrik Ostergaard for an article that was published in Showcase, the weekly entertainment supplement to the Erie Daily Times and Morning News, on May 23, 1991. Here are the highlights of the article:

Dirty Looks is playing in Erie and there's no need to pack up the car and travel to Cleveland, Pittsburgh, or State College to see them. This time, Dirty Looks will load the Marshall stacks into rental trucks and set up shop in Erie, between tour dates in New York and Toronto.

"We're really looking forward to coming, since we haven't been back for four years," said lead singer/guitarist Henrik Ostergaard. "Erie's sort of my hometown."

Dirty Looks has been on tour for the last two months. The band played Cleveland's Agora Theater on April 6, 1991 and about half the audience drove from Erie to see them. 

When Henrik Ostergaard lived in Erie several years ago, he was a member of the local rock band, Crossfire. It released one single 'Love On Demand,' on the Select Sound label. He then formed Dirty Looks, which also included ex-Harpo bassist Jack Pyers and local drummer Steve McConnell. Pyers recently rejoined Dirty Looks after a brief health-related hiatus. The current line-up also includes guitarist Paul Lidel and drummer Jim Harris, a New York City native.

Besides its tour, Dirty Looks has a new album coming soon on Shrapnel Records' Hard Rock series. Bootlegs is a collection of nine original songs, most of which were rejected by Atlantic Records, the band's former label. Some songs, like 'Fang and the Love Pig,' are given two-thumbs down just because a label executive didn't like the title. "'Fang' is a love story about a futuristic pig and a cat called Fang," said Ostergaard. The song has a Faith No More flavor to it.

The album's strongest track, 'Speed Queen,' was written before the Cool From the Wire album was released on Atlantic. It aired on Rocket 101's 'Homegrown Show' and Tommy Edwards said he had been getting lots of calls requesting Dirty Looks. Ostergaard has promoted the album with interviews on WERG-FM and WFSE-FM.

Why did Ostergaard license the master tapes to Shrapnel for the Bootlegs album? "Some people are rich. We have to do it for a living. We needed the money to live on."

The songs, which were recorded at Acme Studios in New York and Dodge City in California, mostly feature the line-up that played on the two Atlantic Records releases (Cool From the Wire and Turn of the Screw); Ostergaard, Pyers, Lidel and drummer Gene Barnett. Barnett went on to perform with Lillian Axe and Paul Lidel joined Dangerous Toys.

Henrik Ostergaard died on January 27, 2011. He was born December 11, 1963.

Find more fun facts and old photos of Erie-based bands and buildings on Old Time Erie.

Location of the Reed Hotel

I'm sure you've seen postcards of places that used to exist and wondered, "Where was that?" Me too. So I thought it would be fun to put together a graphic to show you where the old Reed Hotel was located. Keep in mind that this is not to scale, just a representation of what the corner of French Street and North Park Row used to look like. The new picture of Erie Insurance on the right was taken in 2013.

Click here for a more detailed narrative of the Reed House hotel in Perry Square. The spot where the hotel used to sit is now a parking lot for Erie Insurance. Keep this image in mind the next time you visit the park. Just stand near the Edison electric fountain and look north.

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

Congested Traffic 12th and State

It's no wonder that traffic was so congested at the intersection of 12th and State Street in Erie, PA. There does not appear to be a traffic light!

Trolleys ran up and down State Street, and also made the turn at 12th Street to head east or west. 

There were multiple distractions with pedestrians, cars, trucks and trolleys sharing the road. The Erie Police Department had a post at 12th and State. It was the little white structure near the bottom left corner. 

The Commerce Building, shown on the right, was demolished in the eighties. The trolley tracks were either ripped out or paved over. A traffic light and cross walks make this intersection much safer for people who are shopping at retail stores or working at one of the businesses or banks downtown.

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

Click below to see a postcard of the Commerce Building and 12th and State Street intersection from a different angle.

Amity Inn Bar With Neon Koehler Beer Sign

Amity Inn photo courtesy of Tom DiLuzio.

The Amity Inn on West 26th Street in Erie, PA had a pretty cool bar setup in 1943, as you can see in this photo. The most impressive feature was a neon Koehler Beer sign hanging right in the center, above a nice display of flags from around the world. Look to the right and you'll see an antique blade fan on top of an old oak refrigerator with glass doors. Some of the other features in the picture include a Calvert calendar, a Planters Salted Peanuts display, bags of popcorn and beef jerky, and a nice, shiny bar. There is a wide assortment of liquor on display, including bottles of Union Town and lots of other names that are too small to decipher. 

Joseph Ferraro owned the Amity Inn, which was located at 1334 West 26th Street in Erie. Guy Lombardo had dinner there in 1946.

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

Erie Transitway Mall near 8th and State

Old Time Erie: Transitway Mall photo ©Debbi Lyon 2013.

This is what State Street looked like in May of 1987 in Downtown Erie, PA. The City of Erie wanted to make the downtown area pedestrian friendly, so the sidewalks were widened and benches and planters were installed a number of years prior to this. There were several permanent chess boards in this area, and it was common to see people deep in thought planning their next move. I took this shot in front of the First National Bank of Pennsylvania at 717 State St., looking south. The Warner Theatre, at 811 State St., is visible in the background, as is Methodist Towers.

"Conceptually, the mall was a product of the Downtown urban renewal efforts of the late 1960s. Its purpose was to re-energize the traditional downtown creating an exciting atmosphere for both office workers and shoppers. There was a strong feeling that this mall and complementary renewal activities would stem or even reverse the drain of retail from the City center. It did not work." -2000 Edition of the City of Erie Land Use Plan. Prepared by the City of Erie; assisted by Graney, Grossman, Ray and Associates.
Old Time Erie
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield currently occupies the old First National Bank Building. The chess boards and and the benches are gone, removed when the Erie Transitway Mall was ripped out in 1993 to widen State St. The Warner Theatre still stands in all its splendor, a tribute to the rich history of the City of Erie.

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

Wayne Brewing New Stubby Bottle

-Wayne Brewing ad in Erie Dispatch-Herald October 15, 1936

The Wayne Brewing Company had a brewery at 1701 Parade Street in Erie, PA for many years. 

The stubby Wayne Brew Pilsener Beer 12 ounce bottles were introduced in 1936. They had wooden crates scaled to the size of the 6.5" bottle so they could be easily loaded onto delivery trucks; take-out 24 packs had a different carrier. Wayne Brewing items are highly collectible, and are often seen in antique shops and on eBay. 

Wayne Brewing had at least six main buildings in its heyday. The bottling house was located on the northeast corner of East 17th and Parade. The main complex was on East 17th Street behind the two buildings on the southeast corner of East 17th and Parade. 

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