Friday Jul 23rd, 2021
The story of staff-sergeant Jesse G. Salajczyk of Erie, Pennsylvania, is a sad and all too typical story of loss and sadness in World War II. An exhibit case in the new Admiral Thomas Weschler Military Gallery in the restored Wood-Morrison house on the campus of the Hagen History Center features his story.
Wednesday Jul 21st, 2021
The shape of dresses in the 1870s changed dramatically in several ways. The shape of the skirt now accented the rear of the wearer. The globe-like appearance of dresses in the 1860s was altered. Dresses now featured a skirt that was flat in the front but protruded backwards more so than the older globe shape. This type of skirt was called the first bustle style.
Friday Jul 16th, 2021
Today all forms of tobacco are known to be cancer-causing so some younger readers may not realize the extent of advertising by tobacco companies throughout the United States. One such form was the Mail Pouch Tobacco Barn.
Wednesday Jul 14th, 2021
The decade of the 1860s was a pivotal time, not only for fashion, but for America as well.
Friday Jul 9th, 2021
The Erie Extension Canal, not to be confused with the Erie Canal in New York state, ran between Presque Isle Bay at Erie, Pennsylvania, and the Ohio River at Beaver, Pennsylvania, northwest of Pittsburgh. The canal thus linked the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Goods and people could travel by water from Erie to New Orleans.
Wednesday Jul 7th, 2021
The 1850s; a time for new, more ostentatious fashion, the underground railroad, and even a war over the destiny of the local train tracks. The world certainly had its fair share of events happening, but Erie’s history at this time is truly unique, as is the involvement that women had in these events.
Friday Jul 2nd, 2021
What better way to celebrate World UFO Day than with memories of a few UFOs and wannabes in and around Erie County.
Thursday Jul 1st, 2021
Readers might remember that in my first blog, I committed to flip at least one lid on one box in each collection, beginning with Collection #1, The Edith Buck Papers.
So, here is the thing, I found a second Collection #1. The Erie County Historical Society accepted collections from the Mercyhurst College Archives over a ten-year period from 1993 to 2003. Its Collection #1 was the Erie Oil Company Papers. There are 44 boxes of material, approximately 200,000 items for a company that existed from 1889 to 1962.
Wednesday Jun 30th, 2021
Informed and inspired by the historicism of the Romantic Era, dress silhouettes of the 1840s had a long waisted bodice, tight, narrow sleeves, and a full dome-shaped skirt that would skim the floor. The Gothic revival of the Romantic Era was imitated in the fashion world as women became walking Gothic structures with their dresses utilizing Gothic architectural characteristics such as narrow arches and angular shapes.
Wednesday Jun 23rd, 2021
This blog series is now going to change for a while. Instead of focusing on Erie County history inspired by the book “A Souvenir of Erie Penna Illustrated 1888”, the next several blogs will be based on a new exhibit in the Watson-Curtze mansion, “The Changing Silhouette of Victorian Women’s Fashions."
Our Hours:
Erie campus:
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: 10 am - 5 pm
Wednesday: 10 am - 5 pm
Thursday: 10 am - 5 pm
Friday: 10 am - 5 pm
Saturday: 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday: 12 pm - 5 pm
*****Girard campus is open for special events only
