History of Erie county, Pennsylvania. Containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, villages schools, churches, industries, etc, Part 60

Author: Bates, Samuel P. (Samuel Penniman), 1827-1902; Whitman, Benjamin, 1940-; Russell, N. W. (Nathaniel Willard); Brown, R. C. (Robert C.); Weakley, F. E; Warner, Beers & Co. (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : Warner, Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1280

USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > History of Erie county, Pennsylvania. Containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, villages schools, churches, industries, etc > Part 60

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The Erie & Northeast Railroad was the pioneer road built to Erie, its first train arriving January 10, 1852. It subsequently became a part of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, one of the great trunk lines of the United States.

By the act of March 10, 1848, the borough limits were extended so as to em- brace the territory bounded on the east by Ash, south by Eighteenth, and west by Liberty streets, the northern boundary being the north shore of the peninsula, "the jurisdiction of the corporate authorities being extended to the island of Presque Isle." Erie was divided into the East and West Wards in 1840, State street being the dividing line. On the 14th of April, 1851, a city charter was grauted, and a city government took the place of the old order of things. In 1858, the city was divided into four wards, and so remained for twelve years. Under the act of February 25, 1870, another extension of the city limits oc- curred, running south to the southern line of the reserve tracts, which are about 1,900 feet south of Twenty-sixth street; east, 1,770 feet east of East avenue; and west to Cranberry street. Two more wards were erected at that time, and, since then, no change has taken place in the corporate limits of the city.

The official census of 1820, the first one taken separate from the township of Mill Creek, gave Erie 635 inhabitants. Since that time its growth has been

LUCRETIA BOWMAN . ( DECEASED)

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as follows : 1830, 1,329; 1840, 3,412; 1850, 5,858; 1860, 9,419; 1870, 19,516 ; 1880, 27, 757; and at the present it contains an estimated population of 35,000.

The following items may be of interest as matters of history, showing price of wood, stone and brick at certain dates: On the 24th of September, 1835, the County Commissioners contracted for one hundred cords of "good, dry, hard wood," at $1.12} per cord. Subsequent contracts were made as follows: $1.50 per cord in 1837; $1.45 in 1841; $1.25 in the fall of 1841; $1.06} in the fall of 1842.

A contract was made by the County Commissioners on the 27th of October, 1829, for twenty to eighty cords of stone at $5 per cord.

David Kennedy, on the date last mentioned, offered to furnish one hundred thousand brick for the proposed new jail at $3.25 per thousand. This offer was thought to be too high and was not accepted. The brick for the court house were furnished, in 1852, by Daniel Youngs, at $3.872 per thousand.

CHAPTER II.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND PROGRESS.

T THE city of Erie is located on a gentle slope extending south about two miles and a half from the bay of Presque Isle. The elevations of the bank along the bay front, beginning at Parade street and running west on Second, are as follows: Parade street, 19 feet; German, 58 feet; Holland, 59 feet; French, 58 feet; State, 56 feet; Peach, 59 feet; Sassafras, 63 feet; Myrtle, 63 feet; Chestnut, 67 feet; Walnut, 70 feet; Cherry, 50 feet; Poplar, 61 feet; and Liberty, 70 feet. Beginning at Second street and running south on State, the following elevations are given on the map in the water office: Second street, 56 feet; Third, 65 feet; Fourth, 71 feet; Fifth, 75 feet; Sixth, 77 feet; Seventh, 82 feet; Eighth, 85 feet; Ninth, 88 feet; Tenth, 90 feet; Eleventh, 93 feet; Twelfth, 95 feet. The valley of Mill Creek now coming in on State, we will cross over to Peach street, where Thirteenth street has an elevation above the bay of 100 feet; Fourteenth, 104 feet; Sixteenth, 120 feet; Eighteenth, 126 feet; Twenty- first, 144 feet; Twenty-second, 157 feet; and Twenty-fifth, 194 feet, while the bottom of the reservoir on Twenty-sixth street is 210 feet above the surface of Presque Isle Bay.

The town site was originally covered with a dense growth of timber, and divided into water-sheds by the following streams: Garrison Run, Mill Creek, Lee's Run, Little and Big Cascade Runs, and Ichabod Run, along each of which deep ravines extended, affording first class facilities for drainage. All of these streams emptied into the bay except Ichabod Run, which was a tributary of Mill Creek, and once furnished motive power for a brewery, distillery and woolen factory. In the improvement of the city, it was taken into the sewer on Seventeenth street, and is now out of sight. The sewer on Sassafras street took in the head-waters of Lee's Run, the main body of the stream having disap- peared with the building of the canal. An immense ravine ran across the parks in first section, from their southwest corner to the Ellsworth House, traces of which can be seen at Second and other streets. People passed from one side of the town to the other by going into the ravine and crossing a foot bridge

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that spanned a stream of water which ran down to the bay. This ravine was gradually filled up with the growth of the town, and the court house was built over it where it crossed the West Park.

Erie, originally, was nearly all at the mouth of Mill Creek, and travelers entered it by Parade and East Sixth streets, the latter intersecting the lake road near the eastern limits of the town. From Mill Creek, Erie gradually extended up Second. Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth streets to French. On the 29th of March, 1805, the General Assembly passed an act erecting the first section into a borough, and the little settlement was now on a fair road to prosperity. In 1808, William Davidson was paid $42 for clearing the tim- ber off the public square, which at a subsequent day the Town Council saw was an error, and again planted in trees. The growth of Erie reached State street in a few years, for we find Robert Brown erecting a stone hotel on the south- west corner of State and South Park Row, the site of the Dime Savings Bank, in 1811; and there were also thinly scattered settlements which in after years adopted local names. such as Cloughsburg, Stumptown, New Jerusalem, King- town, Federal Hill, Marvintown and South Erie.

Cloughsburg was named after Rufus Clough, a blacksmith, who located on the southwest corner of Sixth and Parade streets, opened a blacksmith shop and subsequently a grocery. The neighborhood, embracing from the creek to Parade street and immediate vicinity, was a lively place sixty years ago. The house of Charles M. Lynch, was the residence of Maj. Clough during the latter part of his career.

Stumptown grew up during the war of 1812, when troops were calle.l to Erie in the extreme cold weather of January, 1814. A large number of cabins were built by them for quarters, extending from Peach street to the gully of Lee's Run, and that part of Erie was known, as late as 1825, by the name of Stumptown.

New Jerusalem was christened by William Himrod, who in 1828-29 bought a large number of lots west of Sassafras and north of Sixth street. At that time, there were but two families living west of Lee's Run north of Sixth street, excepting down upon the bank of the bay, where there were a few scat- tering houses. Mr. Himrod, who resided on the northwest corner of French and Second streets, seems to have been a Bible student, as he called his own home "Jericho," because as he said it was on the side of a hill, and upon lay- ing off his new purchase named it " New Jerusalem." It has been claimed that it was so named from the fact that many of the purchasers of lots were Jews, while Mrs. Gallagher says "the name of New Jerusalem was given to it because it was so hard to get to." However, every purchaser had to build and occupy a house in New Jerusalem as one of the conditions of sale, there- fore the addition soon became a bustling place, but with the course of time as the town spread out, these local names gradually went out of use.

Kingtown was laid out by Alfred King, on some outlots owned by him a little southeast of " Garrison Ground," a spot around which clusters many of the earliest historical events of North western Pennsylvania.

Federal Hill is the summit of the hill in South Erie, a name given to it by George Moore, on account of the large number of "Federals " who resided there. It was quite a settlement as early as the war of 1812, and there were several public houses and stores located at that point. One of the hotels was the " American Eagle," from which it also came to be known as Eagle Village. The village was a great stopping place for travelers, being the terminus of the Waterford pike and Ridge road. It was long the voting place of Mill Creek Township, and fifty years ago a mile of woods lay between there and Erie.

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CITY OF ERIE.

Among those who resided on "Federal Hill " were George Moore, Capt. John Justice, Ira Glazier, Dr. P. Faulkner, John Sweeney, Simeon Dunn, Dr. Plara Thayer and other well-known citizens.

Marvintown was the home of Elisha Marvin, who lived at the "Sennett place," near the junction of Parade street aud the Wattsburg road, had splen- did grounds, and owned most of the land around. Being the intersection of two roads, a small village sprang into existence, and in 1852-53 Mr. Marvin employed Samuel Low to lay out the land in lots. The lots were sold princi- pally to Germans, and finally Mr. Marvin disposed of his home to Mr. Sennett.

South Erie grew up in consequence of the building of the Lake Shore Railroad, which was finished to Erie January 10, 1852, and then called the Erie & Northeast Railroad, but subsequently became a part of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern line. Much of it was owned by Maj. David Mo- Nair, who lived close to his brewery on Turnpike street. He erected the latter in 1815, added a distillery in 1823, and a grist mill in 1827. South Erie was incorporated as a borough in 1866, and became a part of Erie by the extension of the latter in 1870. The interests of all these local points were identical with those of Erie. and they were, we might say, suburban villages of the lat- ter during its different periods of growth, to be absorbed and lost sight of with the extension of the city limits.

Few cities of the West can compare with Erie in its numerous attractions, and around none center a deeper historic interest. It is nearly three miles from east to west, and two from north to south, containing thirty streets each way, or 150 miles of city highways. All streets running north and south are the property of the State, and no person can ever gain an ownership in them; also all east and west streets south to Twelfth; but those between Twelfth and Twenty-sixth streets, running east and west, were taken from the outlots as originally laid out. East avenue and Twenty-sixth street were formed from the gores resulting from lack of agreement in subsequent surveys, growing out of a change in the variation of the needle. The twelve outlots between Twen- ty-sixth and Twenty-eighth streets, and Parade and East avenue, were laid out by Col. Thomas Forster, without authority, but his survey was afterward legal- ized by the State Legislature. Railroad street, on the west side of the cattle yards of the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad, running southeast to the city limits from East avenue on the west side of said railroad land, was granted to the city, on account of the railroad company being exempted from liability of their lands being crossed by east and west streets south of the Buffalo road. State, Parade, Sixth, Tenth and Twelfth streets are 100 feet in width, and the balance principally sixty, though some run under, and portions of others over that figure.

Twenty years ago, a great share of the business was done around the parks. The Reed House, Brown's Hotel, American House and Park House, as well as the largest stores, were there, but with the passing years the business center has gradually moved south on State street, which is now considered the most valuable portion of Erie, and the principal thoroughfare of the city. It is sub- stantially paved, and lined on either side with fine business blocks, some of which would do credit to a city of metropolitan pretensions. Besides State street, which is paved from Front to Turnpike, the following parts of the sev- eral streets here named have pavements: Peach, from Second to Twenty-sixth; French, from Front to Tenth; Parade, from Sixth to Eighteenth; Turnpike, from State to Peach; North and South Park Rows; Fourth, from State to Sas- safras; Fifth, from State to French; Sixth, from the park east to Parade with stone, and west to Walnut with asphalt; Ninth, from French to Peach with

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stone, and from Peach to Chestnut with asphalt; Eleventh, from State to Pa- rade; and Twelfth, from State to Peach. Streets running east and west are numbered from State, with all odd numbers on the south side of the street, while those running north and south are numbered from Front, with the odd numbers on the east side of the street. Between every street there are 100 numbers, so that a stranger will have no difficulty in finding the location of any given number in Erie.

Visitors coming to the city for the first time are impressed by the activity in every department of business. After reaching the fine Union Depot, located on Peach street, between Fourteenth and Fifteenth, the business portion of Erie branches out toward the north and south, extending from Twenty-sixth street to the bay, and presenting a very substantial appearance. Where State street intersects Park Row are two handsome public parks, extending east and west to French and Peach streets. and from North to South Park Row, afford- ing a delightful promenade and resting-place during the summer months. These parks are cut into artistic designs by asphalt walks, terminating at a beautiful fountain in the center of each. These fountaine were made in Philadelphia, and erected in 1868 at a total cost of $3,237.98.

In the West Park and facing State street, is the Monument, erected " In memory of the soldiers and sailors from Erie County who gave their lives to save the Union." The bronze group consists of a soldier and sailor, stand- ing side by side, mutually supporting the National flag, which hangs in grace- ful folds between them, the foot of the staff resting upon the ground, the right hand of the soldier grasping it, while his left is holding his rifle en traile. The sailor stands with his left foot upon a coil of rope, his right hand grasping the pommel of his sword, the point of which is placed upon the ground, while his left hand carelessly rests upon the right, the scene representing the mutual relation of these forces in sustaining the one flag. This group stands upon a granite pedestal, eight feet square by twelve feet high, from the marble works of Hallowell, Me., while the statuary was executed by the Ames Company, of Chicopee, Mass., after a design by Ball. The work was completed in the fall of 1872, and cost about $10,000. On the west side of the pedestal is inscribed the following memorable quotation from Lincoln's speech at Gettysburg: " We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this na- tion, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that the government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Immediately south of the monument is a handsome drinking fount- ain, presented to the city in 1883 by George D. Selden, while across State street, in the East Park, stands a neat band pagoda, and as a whole these parks add much to the beauty of Erie.

The portion removed from the business centers of the city contains many handsome private residences, with beautiful grounds surrounding them. Most of the streets are well shaded by forest trees, and laid out in boulevards, the well-kept grassy plats stretching along either side of the street, together with wide, substantially paved sidewalks, renders Erie a very desirable place of residence.

Among the many fine buildings in the city, public and private, may be mentioned the Court House and Jail, the Union Depot, the Marine Hospital, the Custom House, St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum, St. Vincent's Hospital, Home for the Friendless, the First Presbyterian Church, First Methodist Episcopal Church, Park Presbyterian Church, St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church, St. Mary's Catholic Church and Benedictine Academy, and St. Peter's Catholic Cathedral, which has been in process of erection for several years, and when

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completed will be an edifice second to none in this portion of Pennsylvania. Those of a private character principally noteworthy are the Reed House, Scott's Block, Downing Block, Park Opera House, Ellsworth House, Dime Bank build- ing, Noble Block, Rosenzweig's block, Jarecki Block, Becker Block, Walther'e Block. Hays Block, and numerous others, which all contribute largely to the architecture of the city. The public schools and extensive manufacturing es- tablishments scattered throughout Erie might also be mentioned in this con- nection, but as the churches, schools, charitable institutions, county buildings and leading mannfactories are fully written up under their respective heads, either in the county or city history, we refer the reader to those separate arti- cles for the history of their beginning, growth and present prosperity.

The city is supplied with good newspapers, many of which have attained large circulation, and are recognized as strong factors in molding public opinion. They are as follows:

Erie Gazette, weekly and Sunday morning. Weekly established by Joseph M. Sterrett in 1820. Sunday established 1875, Republican, W. G. McKean, publisher.

Erie Observer, daily and weekly, R. B. Brown editor and proprietor. Democratic. Weekly established by T. B. Barnum, 1830. The Evening Ob- server was started by Mr. Brown October 15, 1881.

Erie daily and weekly Dispatch, J. R. Willard & Co., proprietors. Repub- lican. Established as weekly at Waterford, 1851; removed to Erie in 1856; the daily was first issued at Erie, 1861, but it lasted only a brief period. In 1864, it was again started and has since been issued regularly.

Lake Shore Visitor, Catholic weekly, Rev. Thomas A. Casey, editor. Es- tablished 1872.

Erie Advertiser, weekly, John M. Glazier, editor and proprietor; independ- ent. Established April 1, 1876.

Erie Evening Herald and Dollar Weekly. Herald Printing and Publish- ing Company, proprietors, Democratic. Established July, 1878.

Erie Sunday Graphic, Jacob Bender, editor and proprietor; independent. Established in May, 1880.

The Star of Liberty is a monthly, established by H. R. Storrs, editor and proprietor, April 1, 1882.

Zuschauer, weekly, German, F. G. Gorenflo, editor and proprietor; Repub- lican. Established 1852.

Leuchtthurm, daily and weekly, German, Otto Luedicke, proprietor; inde- pendent. Weekly established in 1860; daily, October 5, 1875.

Jornal de Noticias, weekly, Portuguese, A. M. Vincent, editor; independent. Established October 27, 1877.

The Sonntagsgast, Sunday, German; established May 15, 1881, by Frank Weiss & Co .; independent.

The excellent situation of Erie is a subject of remark, and the general health is much above cities of similar population. The sewerage of the city has received considerable attention since 1868, and much intelligence and money have been directed toward its perfection. The public sewers take up about twenty miles of pipe. New improvements are being constantly made, and the city's sanitary condition is ably looked after by Dr. E. W. Germer, its present efficient health officer. Nuisances detrimental to the health of the people are promptly dealt with and soon become a thing of the past.

The city is lighted by 425 gas lamps, the luminous power of each being de- scribed as nineteen candle power, from which we can safely infer that Erie possesses well-lighted streets, and that she is fairly abreast with the progres- sive spirit of the age.

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Throughout the city are distributed 213 fire hydrants, and forty-three miles of water mains. In connection with this we might here state, that Erie is furnished with a first class fire department, which, together with its incompara- ble water supply, insures efficient service in saving property and fighting that fiery element of destruction, that has proven such a terror in so many poorly protected cities.

HOTELS AND PUBLIC HALLS.

While there are a great many hotels in the city, they differ widely in the character of their accommodations, but for the classes to which they cater prob- ably no city is better supplied. For the benefit of the commercial class, we enumerate the following as among those calculated to best satisfy the general public demands: Reed House, Liebel House, Moore's Hotel, Wilcox House Union Depot Hotel and Morton House. The Massassauga Hotel, which was built by Hon. W. L. Scott, some four years ago, at the western end of the bay of Presque Isle, known as " The Head," was destroyed by fire December 1, 1882. The original cost of the hotel with its adjoining buildings was about $40,000, and it was becoming a very popular resort for summer guests from all sections of the country. This may also be said of the Reed House, which has been elegantly refitted throughout, and offers every attraction to the traveling public that may be found in any first-class hotel.

The public halls of the city are numerous and well adapted for all public gatherings. The prominent ones are the Park Opera House, a building which for stage convenience, seating capacity, acoustic arrangement and general in- ternal decoration will favorably compare with those of most cities of similar size in the country; Jarecki's Hall, Becker's Hall, Odd Fellows Hall, Presque Isle Hall, Zuck's Hall, Metcalf's Hall, Masonic Hall, Grand Army of the Re- public Hall, and several others of lesser note or of a more private character.

PLEASURE RESORTS.

The fact that one of Perry's vessels, the Niagara, lies sunk in Misery Bay, makes it an interesting resort for residents, as well as tourists, and in summer many avail themselves of the steam yachts, Massassauga and Lena Knobloch to visit it. These yachts are largely patronized, on their trips to "The Head," and are often in demand by parties wishing to visit the fishing grounds, Long Point, Port Dover, Canada and other points of interest. The Emma V. Sut- ton and J. H. Welch, smaller yachts than those mentioned, are in constant use on the bay, which in the summer season is a delightful resort; while dozens of sail and row-boats are continually gliding over its waters with pleasure seek- ers. The Massassauga is said to be one of the fastest yachts on the lake, and carries with safety 225 passengers. The captains of these boats are skillful sea- men, and use every care in the safe transportation of their patrons. The en- joyment of these excursions upon the bay and lake can be equaled only at the sea coast. The "Big Bend," on the peninsula, is one of the well-known pleasure resorts, as are also Cochran's Grove in the southern precincts of the city, and Wagner's Grove still farther south. There are, doubtless, other points used as the occasion requires, but those mentioned are the ones best known and patronized.

The climate is notably healthy, and in summer cool and delightful, the land and lake breezes alternating every day with the regularity of sea breezes on the coast. The bathing facilities, both in the bay and lake, are fine and greatly enjoyed, many preferring the fresh to salt water. The facilities offered for walks and drives about the city are numerous, and those who prefer land trips can avail themselves of the drive to "The Head," enjoying the lake

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breeze from the shade of the original groves at " Massassauga Point," which at night are brilliantly illuminated by natural gas. The drives throughout the southern boundary, overlooking the city, harbor and lake, offer special attrac- tions to the pleasure seeker.

RAILROADS AND SHIPPING FACILITIES.

Centering here are the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, a great East and West trunk line; the Philadelphia & Erie, communicating with the lumber, oil and coal fields of the State, and the short line to tide water; the Erie & Pitts- burgh, running between the two points from which its name is derived, and the New York, Chicago & St. Louis, a new trunk line, which has proven of great benefit to this section. Much feeling has been indulged in concerning the railroad interests of this city, ever since the first rail was laid within its limits, but aside from all disagreement, stands the fact of Erie's existence, as a great manufacturing point, her natural advantages, and the circumstance of her lying between two large and densely populated sections, both consumers of the products of her manufactories, has led to continued progress in the face of all arbitration against her interests. So long as the enterprise and ingenuity of her people plan, and their capital executes; so long as the community fosters. industry and thrift, so long will Erie continue to progress.

The city is well supplied with wharfage, while the Philadelphia & Erie, and the Erie & Pittsburgh Railroads have branches running to the water front, and extensive docks, making the trans-shipment of freights from vessels to the cars, or vice versa, easy and convenient. W. L. Scott & Co. also have large docks on the bay front. With these advantages, the shipping facilities of the city by water and rail are unsurpassed, and that they are availed of is attested by the large quantities of coal, iron, iron ore, lumber and miscellaneous freights which are yearly handled.

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History of Erie county, Pennsylvania. Containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, villages schools, churches, industries, etc, Part 60

Author: Bates, Samuel P. (Samuel Penniman), 1827-1902; Whitman, Benjamin, 1940-; Russell, N. W. (Nathaniel Willard); Brown, R. C. (Robert C.); Weakley, F. E; Warner, Beers & Co. (Chicago, Ill.) Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago : Warner, Beers & co. Number of Pages: 1280

Author: Bates, Samuel P. (Samuel Penniman), 1827-1902; Whitman, Benjamin, 1940-; Russell, N. W. (Nathaniel Willard); Brown, R. C. (Robert C.); Weakley, F. E; Warner, Beers & Co. (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : Warner, Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1280