USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > Erie > Erie; a guide to the city and county > Part 10
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Trees hang over the lagoons on both sides. Along the banks are many kinds of plant life. Pink ladyslippers and wild columbine make the open places in the forest even more lovely in spring.
MISERY BAY, 12.5 m., (L), is a body of water covering 50 or more acres, extending into the peninsula and connected by a wide inlet in Presque Isle Bay. Lieutenant Holdup, an officer of Perry's fleet, named it Misery Bay because of the gloomy weather and comfortless living con- ditions aboard the navy ships during the winter of 1813-1814, when the victorious fleet anchored there.
In CRYSTAL POINT PARK, 12.6 m., (L), is the PERRY MONUMENT, erected, in honor of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. Erected by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1926, the monument is a tall quadrate shaft of Indiana limestone. Around the base are wide, low steps, which visitors climb to read the inscription on a plaque listing the names of the ships that took part in the Battle of Lake Erie. It is 50 yards from the highway on a narrow point extending between Misery Bay and Presque Isle Bay. The plot has been landscaped. Shrubbery, carefully nurtured lawns studded with cannon and anchors from Perry's ships, and well- trimmed trees furnish the foreground of the memorial.
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Left of the monument is the old battleship, Wolverine, formerly the USS Michigan, the first iron ship of the United States Navy (built 1843), and the only warship on the Great Lakes for over 80 years. The Wolver- ine was used as a training ship and sailed under her own power until 1923. She was then towed to her final moorings near the monument where she now lies, listing uneasily in the mud of Misery Bay. Lily pads grow about her hull, sunfish and pollywogs play in and out of her paddle-wheel hous- ings, her planking is fast rotting, decks are unsafe, and the cabins marred and wrecked.
James Nesbit, who named Crystal Point, was familiarly known as "Skip- per Jim." "Skipper Jim" claimed squatter rights, denied by a court rul- ing, to a large section of peninsula land. He claimed he obtained these rights by occupation of the property over a period of twenty-one years. The aged man and his family lived in a rude shelter in a plot which he called "Crystal Point." Although considered eccentric, the skipper was big hearted and companionable.
From Crystal Point there is another good view of Erie. Several hun- dred yards off shore from 10 to 20 lake freighters anchor for the winter. Presque Isle Bay is an ideal wintering place, because of the shelter af- forded by the peninsula.
At 13.4 m., FLOATING MARSH TRAIL branches to the R. and passes through a stand of beech and oak timber to approach the lagoons. At Long Pond, one of the largest of the lagoon ponds, the trail forks. The L. fork continues along the ridge, and Long Pond Trail turns R. to follow the shores of the lagoons. A half mile distant, east, is the only fire tower on the peninsula.
From this point tall trees line both sides of the road.
At 14.2 m. is the loop intersection. The tour returns to Erie by way of State 832 and State 5.
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SHAW FISH CO.
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Fish nets drying, Public Dock
A catch of pike
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Doorway, Church of the Covenant
COUNTY TOUR 2
This boat tour passes many of the points of interest described in City Tours 1, 2, and 3 and County Tour I. The usual tour treatment of these points has therefore been omitted. County Tour 2 is a trip around Presque Isle Bay, through the lake channel, and into Lake Erie. The tour ends at Six Mile Creek, eastward of the channel, and retraces to the bay. Most visitors to Erie arrange to take a boat trip, and Erie citizens assert that this is the best way to see the city.
(Boats are available at the Public Steamboat Landing, foot of State St., during the summer season. Rowboats, 25¢ for ist hour, 15¢ for additional hours; motor boats so¢ ist hour, 30¢ an hour thereafter. Better rates by the day.)
(Motor yachts at the Public Landing offer frequent trips around the bay and on the lake. 50¢ a person. Guide.)
T HE SHORE line to the left, as the boat moves west from the public Steam- boat Landing, is a panorama of boats, drying nets, squat buildings, and smokestacks. Great reels of drying fish-nets stand in rows between the rambling buildings of the fish houses. This is the scene of an industry that for a long period made Erie the greatest fresh water fish center in the world. Because of the sudden unexplained disappearance of the ciscoes, a fresh water herring, in 1925, Erie has fallen from the production average of 30,000 tons a year between 1895 and 1920, to 1,750 tons in 1937. Of a fleet of 125 fishing tugs only a dozen remain. Sturgeon, before 1865, were considered valueless and were a nuisance to fishermen. The finding of several large sturgeon in a net meant that the net was torn and ruined by the desperate efforts of the fish to escape. Weighing from 50 to 200 pounds, they were powerful and their struggles were terrific. After their numbers had been considerably reduced they were found to be of value in the making of caviar. Their roe, averaging from 20 to 60 pounds a fish, was spiced and pickled for that purpose and shipped to eastern cities. Isinglass and slunk were made from their bladders. Slunk is a tube used in breweries to fasten over brass barrelling taps to direct the flow of beer and ale into kegs.
At the foot of Chestnut St. is the State Fish Hatchery. Millions of ciscoe spawn are hatched here annually and released in the lake (see CITY TOUR 2).
West of the Fish Hatchery is a unit of the Erie City Waterworks Pump- ing Station and Filtration plant. A concrete bathing pool is maintained by the city. Bathing is free to children. The city provides swimming instructors.
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The sand and coal docks of the Pennsylvania Railroad extend 200 yards into the bay and are easily identified by the huge piles of sand and the hundreds of cars of coal standing on the tracks.
Behind the docks is visible the 50-foot cliff which overlooks the bay and atop which is the city of Erie. On a prominence overlooking the coal dock and railroad yards, at the foot of Cascade St., is a marker on the site of the shipyard in which ships of Perry's fleet were built (see CITY TOUR 2).
Around the end of the coal dock and snuggled under an overhanging cliff, on the shores of a deep cove, is a group of shacks occupied by a dozen families who have pre-empted about two acres of city-owned land and have built homes thereon. Between the produce derived from their gardens and desultory fishing expeditions these people eke a bare living without the necessity of holding jobs in Erie's industry. They pay no taxes. Efforts on the part of the city to break up the colony have been unsuccessful and the squatters continue their occupation unmolested by city or county authorities.
At the foot of Lincoln Avenue, about three miles from the Public Steam- boat Landing, is a small community called Eaglehurst. Here, on the shores of the bay, is a group of summer cottages owned by Erie residents. Here, also, is a company which rents boats and fishing tackle to sportsmen.
A short distance west is the Erie Yacht Club. Moored to floats in the bay are a number of motor yachts and sailing craft belonging to members of the club. The three-story, frame clubhouse, standing under the bluff, is a favorite recreational spot for socialite members.
Between the Yacht Club and the head of the Peninsula is an area known as The Marshes. This is a favorite bass fishing ground. It is also a refuge for migratory birds, geese, ducks, and swan, during their annual flights from the far north to winter resting grounds. During the months of November and December, before the bay has frozen over, the water in this area is black with the resting migrants. During the season, hunters may shoot these birds, but must be careful not to hunt within several hundred yards of the Peninsula, or shoot towards its shores.
Hidden by the trees on the head of the Peninsula is an old weather- beaten frame building. The exterior is of vertically nailed hemlock boards battened with strips of fir. A decorative frieze board and two ornate cupolas adorn the shingled roof. This was the old Massassauga Hotel, a resort hotel of the 1890's. It was named for an Indian tribe, the last to occupy the region (see COUNTY TOUR 1).
The shores of the Peninsula curve eastward around the north side of the bay. The entrance to the yacht slip on the Erie Waterworks Park
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Reservation is marked by a buoy. The Niagara, flagship of Perry's fleet, is also on the Reservation (see COUNTY TOUR 1).
At Crystal Point is a small landscaped park containing PERRY'S MON- UMENT and the Wolverine (see COUNTY TOUR 1).
The entrance of Misery Bay into Presque Isle Bay is east of Crystal Point. Misery Bay is a small body of water connected to the bay by a narrow strait. The Niagara, the Lawrence, and a British ship were sunk in Misery Bay after the Battle of Lake Erie (see COUNTY TOUR 1).
The lake channel is at the extreme east end of the Peninsula. The con- crete breakwater to the left is North Pier, on which is the U. S. Coast Guard Reservation (see COUNTY TOUR 1). The breakwater to the right is South Pier. These two piers are the scene of many fishing parties. Fishermen daily flock to the piers to still fish for bass, sheephead, and perch.
When the boat leaves the channel and enters the lake a distinct differ- ence in motion is noticeable aboard. The boat rises and falls in a swinging, rocking motion.
To the right is Erie's shoreline. The Soldiers' and Sailors' Home sets at the top of Garrison Hill. Wayne Blockhouse is nearby (see CITY TOUR 3). The Perry Iron Works and the Hammermill Paper Company oc- cupy about a mile of the shoreline from the Soldiers' Home eastward.
Four Mile Creek, with its densely wooded valley, is about two miles from the channel. This was once the scene of a large amusement park. The coming of Prohibition in 1918 ruined the commercial value of the park and the buildings were allowed to deteriorate.
Eastward the lake bluffs rise higher along the shore line, and the beaches are less sandy. Boulders on the lake floor force boats larger than row- boats and small motor-craft to take a route farther out into the lake.
Some distance off shore, in water about 30 feet in depth, are commercial fishing nets. The nets are attached to long, slim pilings driven into the lake floor, and are suspended from buoys placed between the pilings at intervals of six to eight feet. Once a day the nets are emptied by a fleet of fishing smacks.
At Six Mile Creek, a stream favored by fishermen, there is a boat con- cession and refreshment stand. The beach, covered with fist-sized, water- smoothed stones, is not well adapted to swimming.
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COUNTY TOUR 3
Erie-Fairview-Girard-West Springfield-N. Springfield-Erie, US 20, State 5, 52.9 m. New York Central and Nickel Plate R.R.'s. parallel throughout; the Pennsylvania R.R. system parallels route to Girard.
Paved throughout. Tourist accommodations available.
T HIS route traverses a farm region ideally adapted to the growing of cereal grains and to truck farming. A large number of greenhouses and tree nurseries are on US 20. State 5 crosses Erie County near the shores of Lake Erie, and, because of the Lake Country climate, is rapidly becoming a favored fruit growing belt. Peaches, apples, cherries, and numerous berries including a heavy crop of strawberries, furnish an in- creasing income to Erie County farmers. Roadside stands offer wide choice of farm produce.
S. from 12th St. on State St .; R. from State St. on W. 26th St. (US 20). At 5.2 m., is the village of WEST MILLCREEK.
At 8.5 m., is the crest of WALNUT CREEK HILL. This place is known locally as Swanville, for Capt. Richard Swan, an early settler. The KAHKWA COUNTRY CLUB (L), with a private 18-hole golf course, is screened by a hedge and tall rows of Lombardy poplars.
After descending Walnut Creek Hill, the highway crosses Walnut Creek. High sandstone and shale cliffs border the creek.
The road climbs from the creek and enters FAIRVIEW, 11.8 m. (alt. 717, pop. 459, borough, inc. 1868) on the first terrace-like plain above Lake Erie. It was named by early settlers because of its scenic beauty.
The borough is served by the New York Central Railroad, the Central Greyhound Bus Lines, and the West Ridge Transportation Co. The rail- road station is half a mile north of Fairview.
The village, originally called Sturgeonville for William and Jeremiah Sturgeon, covers an area of one square mile. William Sturgeon built and operated the first hotel, and built the first schoolhouse. Neither is now standing.
Agriculture is the chief industry of the region, and the soil is rich and productive. The borough is almost exclusively residential, a small basket factory being the only manufacturing enterprise.
Fairview has four churches-Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian, Epis- copal, and Evangelical Lutheran.
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At 12.5 m., is B'NAI B'RITH (R), a Jewish home for orphans between the ages of 5 and 12. The group of three two-and-one-half story red brick buildings is set back from the highway in a wide landscaped lawn. Supported by individual contributions, a per capita levy on members of the B'nai B'rith lodges, and the Erie County Institutional district, the in- stitution provides a home and educational facilities for about 60 children.
At 12.5 m., (L), is the ERIE COUNTY AIRPORT, privately owned and equipped as an aviation school.
The ERIE COUNTY HOME, 13.0 m., (open Friday ) is a 3-story red brick structure with two wings fronting toward the highway connected with a long, rectangular rear portion. A low pediment over the entrance is supported by four fluted columns. The home is maintained by the County as a residence for indigent citizens. Connected with the home is the County Farm, a large tract of land cultivated by the residents, the produce being used to help support the home.
The SACRED HEART MISSION HOUSE (R), is at 14.7 m. (open daily; guide). The main building is a large red brick, rectangular struc- ture with the entrance fronting a small circular flower bed. A figure of Christ surmounts the low pediment supported by two fluted columns. A private roadway over a slightly arched bridge crossing a narrow water- way connecting two ponds, leads to the main building. The grounds are screened from the highway by tall evergreens. The Mission is conducted by Priests of the Order of the Divine Word. It has an enrollment of 100 students who come from all parts of the United States to train for for- eign missionary service.
At 15.3 m., is GIRARD (818 alt .; 1,554 pop .; borough, inc. 1846). The borough and township were named for Stephen Girard, Philadelphia cap- italist, who owned a large tract of land in the vicinity. Girard is served by the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad, the Nickel Plate Railroad, the Central Greyhound Lines, and the West Ridge Transportation Company.
Along the tree-shaded streets of the quiet town are large rambling white-painted dwellings of the farmhouse type.
The first settlers in the township were William Silverthorn and his son, Capt. Abraham Silverthorn, who came from Fayette County in 1798. The next year Robert Brown settled at the mouth of Elk Creek, nearby. The original town was on the west side of Elk Creek and is now known as West Girard. When the Erie-Pittsburgh Canal was built in 1844, on the east side of the creek, many families built homes on the top of the hill to the east.
Girard residents are largely retired farmers and business men who have chosen this pleasant village for their homes. The older stock of the settle- ment were English and German, with a sprinkling of Scotch and Irish. In
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later years there was an influx of Slavs and Russians, who purchased or leased farms.
The HUTCHINSON HOUSE, 155 Main St., was built about 1830 by Myron Hutchinson, an Erie County judge. The simple 2-story red brick build- ing is Georgian Colonial in style.
The DAN RICE SOLDIERS' and SAILORS' MONUMENT, a cylindrical marble shaft surmounted by an American eagle, was erected in 1865, by Dan Rice, circus owner and clown. Designed by Leonard Volk of Chicago, the monument occupies a prominent position in the public square. Rice al- ways maintained a residence in Girard, and was considered one of its leading citizens. His monument is said to be the first erected to the mem- ory of Civil War veterans.
A weekly, the Cosmopolite-Herald, the only newspaper in the township, is published in Girard. The borough has five churches: Presbyterian, Methodist Episcopal, Roman Catholic, Universalist, and Evangelical Lutheran.
At 16.5 m., is a junction with State 440.
Left on this road 2.0 m., is the Porter Bridge School, a one-room county school. (Park car in school yard). South along foot trail to junction with Elk Creek. Left, along trail bordering Elk Creek, is the DEVIL'S NOSE, 0.5 m.
The Devil's Nose, a shale and sandstone formation, is at the convergence of Elk Creek and Brandy Run. The bluff, rising 60 ft. from the creek level, resembles a human nose. The banks of the creeks are popular picnic places.
At 1.5 m. on the trail is the DEVIL'S BACKBONE, a long shale and sandstone ridge with steep walls rising 200 ft. above creek level. The ridge is fringed at its top with maple, ash, and oak trees. At the SE corner, where Elk Creek cuts through the ridge, the wall dwindles to a height of 50 ft.
EAST SPRINGFIELD (664 alt., 391 pop., borough, inc. 1887) de- rives its name from the numerous springs in the area. The Nickel Plate R. R., and the Central Greyhound Lines serve the borough.
Capt. Samuel Holliday, of Franklin County, Penna., came to the town- ship in 1796, and settled on 700 acres at the mouth of Crooked Creek. He built a cabin and returned to his former home in the fall. The next year he returned, bringing his bride. Soon after his arrival, he was joined by John Devore, of Bedford County; John Marshon of New Jersey, and William McIntyre and Patrick Ager, natives of Ireland, all of whom be- came permanent settlers. Most of the present inhabitants are Anglo-Saxon, with a scattering of Germans, Slovaks, and Poles.
In 1796 the first potatoes were brought from Pittsburgh by James Mc- Intyre, who carried them in a sack on his back. Potatoes are still one of the chief agricultural products of the area.
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Holliday built the first sawmill in the township in 1801 and a gristmill in 1803, near the mouth of Crooked Creek. Neither is standing.
There are four churches in the township: the East Springfield Federated Church, Baptist, Methodist, and the Methodist Episcopal.
WEST SPRINGFIELD, 24.7 m., (660 alt., 400 pop., borough) is a residential community, with houses of old farmhouse type, and occasional modern homes. Rows of tall maples line the road.
On the road are many poultry farms. Thousands of White Leghorns are visible from the highway.
At 26.0 m., is the junction with State 5; R. on State 5.
At 31.9 m., is NORTH SPRINGFIELD, a small community consisting of a school, a store, two churches, and about 30 houses.
At 35.7 m., is a junction with a dirt road.
L. on this road is the mouth of Elk Creek 1.5 m. This is a favorite spot for bass and grasspike fishing. Many persons camp here during the sum- mer months. Boats are for hire at a store located on the beach at the mouth of the stream.
AVONIA, 40.9 m., is a community of farm homes and commuting cottagers.
The LAKE SHORE GOLF CLUB, 44.3 m., (members only ), lies along both sides of the highway. It has an 18-hole golf course.
PORT ERIE AIRPORT, 46.0 m., (R), is a modern air terminal. The airport, covering 140 acres, was constructed in 1936-37 by the Works Progress Administration and by Erie City and County. Scheduled pas- senger and mail service were inaugurated by the American Airlines, Inc., in June, 1938 (taxi fare from downtown Erie: $1.25; time, 15 minutes).
Waldameer Park, 48.6 m., (L), is a commercial amusement park.
At 48.8 m., is the beginning of PENINSULA DRIVE, L. (see COUNTY TOUR 1).
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COUNTY TOUR 4
Erie-Lawrence Park-North East-Wesleyville-Erie, State 5 (East Lake Road), State 150, US 20, 42.1 m. Roads paved throughout.
Hotels and tourist accommodations in all the route towns.
The highways are wide, curves regular and banked; traffic and directional signs adequate; kept open by continuous snowplow service in winter; hills, curves, and intersections cindered during icy conditions. Pennsylvania Motor Police substation at North East.
Parallels the Nickel Plate and the New York Central R.R.'s throughout.
S TATE 5, until 1937 State 99, follows an old Indian trail from Presque Isle to Niagara, and parallels the shore of Lake Erie to the New York State line. Crossing the valleys of streams entering Lake Erie, the tour traverses rolling country and continues as New York 5 after crossing the Pennsyl- vania State line near Ripley, N. Y. US 20, known locally as the Buffalo Road, was surveyed in 1805 and opened over most of its route the same year. The highway parallels Lake Erie at a distance of from one to two miles throughout, following the crest of the first ridge of land above the lake.
E. from State St. on E. 12th St .; L. from E. 12th St. on Parade St .; R. from Parade St. on E. 6th St. (State 5).
At 4.0 m., is the General Electric Co. Plant (see CITY TOUR 3).
LAWRENCE PARK, 4.6 m., (687 alt .; 3,200 pop. township, inc. 1926) is an industrial suburb of Erie City, and is the newest and only first-class township in Erie County. It was named for Commodore Perry's flagship, the Lawrence.
Freight service is furnished by the New York Central, Nickel Plate, Bessemer & Lake Erie, and Pennsylvania R. R.'s. The Greyhound Lines and the West Ridge Bus System and Erie City buses serve the township.
The first extensive development of Lawrence Park began with the com- ing of the General Electric plant in 1911. The Federal Government erected 400 houses in 1917 for employees engaged in producing wartime supplies. These Government houses, in groups of six to eight, are built of brick and have four to six apartments.
The township's outstanding civic activities are the General Electric Company's Children's Day, held the second Saturday in September; the annual Hallowe'en Festival; and the Community Festival, on Christmas Eve.
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There are three churches, the St. Mary's Episcopal, Methodist Episco- pal, and Christ Lutheran.
At 11.3 m., is the entrance to Shorewood Beach, a popular bathing place (free; no bathhouse).
At 15.7 m., is the junction with an unimproved road.
Left on this is ORCHARD BEACH, 0.3 m., a popular summer resort and bathing beach at the mouth of Sixteen Mile Creek. (Boats and fishing tackle; reasonable rates). Judah Colt, in 1796, maintained a harbor here for unloading supplies from ships to be freighted by ox team to Colt's Station, a pioneer settlement at the headwaters of French Creek.
At the foot of a stiff grade to the level of the lake, the route crosses TWENTY MILE CREEK at 19.3 m. There is a suggestion of the wilder- ness in this rugged, tree-covered area. It once was a camping ground for Indians. Game was plentiful and fish easily caught. At the mouth of the stream, during Prohibition, many boatloads of illicit spirits were smuggled into the State.
At 20.1 m., is the junction with State 150; R. from State 5 on State 150. At 22.0 m., is the junction with US 20; R. from State 150 on US 20 at State Line.
STATE LINE (alt. 871, pop. 300) is a small village on the NEW YORK-PENNSYLVANIA BOUNDARY. Eastward from State Line the highway passes through a short stretch of level country, paralleled (L) by the New York Central and the Nickel Plate Railroads. Along the roadside are substantial farms with buildings 50 or more years old.
On both sides of the road are acres of grapes, peaches, cherries, and other fruit. During the spring and early summer fruit trees are in blossom, and the foliage of the vineyards creates the illusion of a green sea, with the Lake Erie breeze rippling the surface.
NORTH EAST, 24.6 m., (alt. 805, pop. 3,670, borough, inc. 1834) is the center of the Pennsylvania grape industry. The dwellings, built near the street, are rather old, although there are a few modern cottages of Georgian Colonial architecture. All are neat, well painted, and have large lawns dotted with shrubbery and flower beds.
North East derives its name from its geographical position in the ex- treme northeast sector of the original 16 townships of Erie County. Be- fore 1800 the section was known as Lower Greenfield.
South of North East is a chain of hills with cultivated slopes and wooded summits. A mile and a half north is Lake Erie.
The Greyhound Lines, West Ridge Transportation Co., Martz Bus Lines; also the New York Central and the Nickel Plate Railroads provide interurban transportation facilities.
The first dwelling at North East was a log house built in 1801 by Wil-
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