Houses on West 10th & Walnut circa 1910

West 10th Street near Walnut circa 1910. Old Time Erie historic postcards.

The elegant and distinctive houses shown in this postcard show a series of well manicured lawns along West 10th near Walnut Street in Erie, PA circa 1910. 516 West 10th was home to Edwin Davis, owner of the Davis Wall Paper Co. Elisha C. Mack resided at 524 West 10th and Joseph Weschler owned the dwelling at 536 West 10th.

Enjoy more fun facts about the history of Erie, PA on the Old Time Erie blog

No Loud Talkers!

Page from ledger of the Wesleyville Lodge of the Independent Order of Good Templars No. 188

The Wesleyville Lodge of the Independent Order of Good Templars No. 188 was formed on May 26th, 1854. They met once a week at the Sons of Temperance Hall. Members signed a pledge of total abstinence. This meant no beer, no wine, nothing of the sort. This fraternal organization accepted both men and women, and the group voted to admit new members upon nomination by a current member. 

The Wesleyville I.O. of G. T. had another strict rule: No Loud Talking. "Moved that any members who shall hereafter be found guilty of loud talking and making a noise in the hall and about the door of this house so as to disturb the members of this Lodge (when in session) shall be fined 25 cts for each offense this Res. to be in force one week from tonight." Passed September 17, 1856.

This ledger book was discovered in the home of a descendent of the Henry family in Rochester, NY and was recently donated to the Harborcreek Historical Society.

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National Night Out 2014 Erie County, PA

Looking for a way to reminisce about your old neighborhood? Why not attend an annual National Night Out event. This annual gathering is funded by the United Way of Erie County. "These events seek to promote the spirit of community and encourage everyone to play a role in supporting the education of youth in our neighborhoods. Neighborhood events will feature free food, music and games, along with the opportunity to interact with local police and fire departments." -United Way.

The National Night Out events that I have attended over the years remind me of a laid-back block party where adults can mingle and trade stories about the old days. Or a family reunion. Local businesses and service providers usually have tables set up to share information. The children seem to really like to play games and see fire trucks up close. It's one big party before they get ready to go back to school.

This was the line-up for the August 5, 2014 celebration in Erie, PA:

City of Erie, PA- East Side locations:
John F. Kennedy Center
5-8 p.m. JFK Center - Building & Parking Lot, 2021 East 20th Street
Youth Leadership Institute of Erie
11 a.m.-7 p.m. 22nd & Reed Streets
Neighborhood Watch #13, SNOOPS Association
5:30-8:30 p.m. Friendship Park, 14th & Reed Streets
Bayfront East Side Taskforce (BEST)
6:00-8:30 p.m. Wallace Park
East Avenue/Hess Avenue Neighborhood Watch
5-9 p.m. Perseus House School/St. Casimir's Church (Lynn St., Brandes St. & Hess Ave.)
Eastside Eagles
5:00-7:30 p.m. Multi-Cultural Community Resource Center, 554 East 10th St. (5th and Ash St.)
SafeNet
5-8 p.m. SafeNet's Big Backyard Children's Garden, 240 East 9th Street

City of Erie, PA- West Side locations:
Little Italy Neighborhood Watch
5:00-7:30 p.m. St. Paul's Church Parking Lot, 19th & Myrtle Streets
West Bayfront
6-9 p.m. Gridley Park & Gridley School on Liberty Street near West 6th St.
YMCA of Greater Erie
5-8 p.m. MLK Community Center, 312 Chestnut Street
Housing Authority of the City of Erie
5-8 p.m. Erie Heights Housing Development, 4030 Garden Ave. Featuring music by the Sam Hyman Band.
Robbins Blass Neighborhood Watch
6-8 p.m. Pebble Park at Washington Avenue and Cold Spring Drive

County of Erie, PA locations:
Elk Creek Leisure and Recreation
1-10 p.m. Girard Community Pool behind municipal building in Girard, PA
Greene Township
6-9 p.m. Greene Township Municipal Building (9333 Tate Road)
Union City
6-9 p.m. Caflisch Park (Bridge & Willow Streets) 
Wattsburg Borough
6-8 p.m. Della Bayle Park in Wattsburg, PA 

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

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