Tuesday Jul 23rd, 2024
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.
Tuesday Jul 2nd, 2024
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.
Monday Jul 1st, 2024
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.
Wednesday Apr 24th, 2024
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.
Friday Mar 8th, 2024
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 19th century you were in luck, because one of the most celebrated catarrh remedies was developed in Erie by Dr. P. Hall.
Thursday Jan 18th, 2024
Just about everyone has a skeleton or two in their closets … but how many people can say they have a headstone in the basement?
Thursday Dec 14th, 2023
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.
Friday Dec 1st, 2023
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.”
Friday Oct 27th, 2023
I was walking down the sidewalk at the west end of North Park Row in Erie when I happened to look up at just the right time. Greeting me from the red-bricked side of the Flagship City Public Market was faded lettering that read “Paragon Building: Clocks, Watches, Jewelry & Fancy Goods.” Made visible by the removal of the neighboring bus terminal, this ghost sign was obviously old, and I couldn’t wait to get home and research its origins.
Friday Oct 20th, 2023
Tucked into a wooded area with brilliant fall colors as a backdrop, sits a grand three-story Italianate yellow house built in 1857. Sitting on the front porch at 436 Walnut St., just beyond the reach of the hustle of downtown Girard, it's not hard to imagine when the property was a working farm. But now, while it might or might not be haunted by a ghost who likes Whitney Houston, it will soon be the site of a grand dinner put on by the Hagen History Center and Red Letter Hospitality, owner of The Cork 1794.
