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A year ago, Dr. Pam Lenz described the fascination and curiosity that accompanied her encounter with what had been known as the Paragon Building, situated on the extreme west end of North Park Row at Peach Street. In particular, she noted that the demolition of the adjacent Greyhound Bus Station had revealed the red-brick east wall of the building on which, in faded white letters, she discerned an advertisement for “Clocks, Watches, Jewelry and Fancy Goods.” Delving into newspaper archives she found the ad to reflect the offerings of the business of T.M. Austin, who, in 1857 seems not only to have been a proprietor but also joint owner/developer of the Paragon Building. 

Read the Dr. Pam Lenz article here  

At the end of her Blog, Dr. Lenz drew attention to a more faded advertisement to the right of the Austin ad, on the east wall on the 5^th street side of the building. She asked for help in deciphering the ad. Having grown up in New York City and sharing a fascination with old advertisements uncovered by urban redevelopment, I took an instant interest. I made some enhancements to the photograph and working around what seemed to be an added window, added or cleaned brickwork and the faded whitewash, I decided that the advertisement likely reads “Palmer’s Photograph Gallery.”

It seems that for a relatively short time, from 1859-1862 (and maybe for a similarly short time later that decade) one of the offices in the Paragon Building was occupied by the studio of O.B. Palmer, “Photographist” whose offerings of “Photographs, Ambrotypes and Daguerreotypes” reflected the rapid evolution of novel photographic techniques in the mid-1800’s. Interested parties were invited to “call and examine specimens” – hence, the “Gallery.”

Palmer may have been born in 1822 in Palmyra, New York, east of Rochester. An entry in “Pioneering American Photographers” suggests that his photography studio moved from Erie to Westfield, New York, and back again. (It may be that in the heyday of early photography, with towns and cities abounding with competing studios, there arose a frequent need to relocate.)The City Directory notes Palmer to have resided in the “second building east of Myrtle on the north side of 8^th Street”. Elsewhere, he is reported to have lived on the south side of 7^th Street, east of Sassafras.

A documented example of Palmer’s work is seen in a “Carte de Visite” of Matthew Lutz, Captain in the 49^th Ohio Infantry. This mounted photograph (serving as a formal visiting card) was likely created after the Civil War.An announcement in the Erie Observer is made of Palmer’s May 1862 association with Mr. A. Sinclair of Rochester, a photographer of “12 years standing” such that thereafter the business would be known as “Palmer and Sinclair”. In later directories, Palmer seems to have disappeared, leaving Sinclair in solo practice. Going forward, he seems lost to history but worthy of deeper historical investigation.

Further reading on the history of the commercial development of West Park Row can be found in this link to the National Register of Historic Places.

https://www.livingplaces.com/PA/Erie_County/Erie_City/West_Park_Place.html

The Erie Electric Trolley Company had a hit with Waldameer. Since its opening, the 65-acre picnic park had installed several rides and its beach area was a paradise of sand, boardwalk, lagoon, and bath house. For those not wanting to take the streetcar, stable room and bicycle racks were available for individuals who came by horse or bike.

Cuneiform tablets are some of the oldest examples of written language. It is an interesting topic as it spans several centuries and is the foundation of our modern written language. It finds its roots in the region of Mesopotamia, from the ancient Sumerian people. 

I can vouch for every word in the title. When Steve Gorman, park president, led me down the gated path to Waldameer’s beach, not one unruly character got in my way. Actually, no one got in my way. Once visited by thousands every day, no beachgoers have crowded its shore in over 60 years. The only sounds were our footsteps in the calf-high grass and a light breeze whispering through the trees.

Erie is chock-full of edible plants and mushrooms if you know where to look. These plants have been harvested by and used by many people in Erie’s History, including the famous Joe Root. Several people still prepare these plants in foods today.

Despite being a native of Cleveland, as the mastermind behind the radio labels Rocket and Star, Mr. Richard “Rick” Rambaldo has been a household name for decades in Erie media. He founded and oversaw Rambaldo Communications from 1988 to 2006 skyrocketing it into a $15 million brand.

Officially a buildup of mucus, some of us know catarrh as postnasal drip. And if you lived in northwestern Pennsylvania during the second half of the 19^th century you were in luck, because one of the most celebrated catarrh remedies was developed in Erie by Dr. P. Hall.

Just about everyone has a skeleton or two in their closets … but how many people can say they have a headstone in the basement?

Here is your very, very rare, “Found in the Archives” blog post for 2023! I write to you on this occasion to commemorate a very special donor named Charles A. Bliley. Chuck donated his collection of materials relating to his family’s local company, Bliley Electric Company, founded by Frank Dawson Bliley. The collection came into the archives in September of 2022 as a loan, and recently it was absorbed into the archive as a permanent collection. Pictured is Chuck standing with his donation in our archives. 

History is full of individuals whose ideas changed the world, but then faded into obscurity upon their death. Mention E.H. Scott to someone and you’ll see what I mean.

Scott was a headliner in the early 1900s. He appeared in Saturday Evening Post ads, trade journals, and yachting magazines. In 1939, the Erie Times-News referred to him as a “truck mogul” and the “Father of Transportation by Motor.”