Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Walking Tour of Erie, Pennsylvania
    A Walking Tour of Erie, Pennsylvania
    A Walking Tour of Erie, Pennsylvania
    Ebook29 pages21 minutes

    A Walking Tour of Erie, Pennsylvania

    By Doug Gelbert

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    There is no better way to see America than on foot. And there is no better way to appreciate what you are looking at than with a walking tour. Whether you are preparing for a road trip or just out to look at your own town in a new way, a downloadable walking tour is ready to explore when you are.

    Each walking tour describes historical and architectural landmarks and provides pictures to help out when those pesky street addresses are missing. Every tour also includes a quick primer on identifying architectural styles seen on American streets.

    Erie was named after the Eriez tribe, which was destroyed by a combination of pestilence and the Seneca nation under Chief Cornplanter in the mid-seventeenth century. The first European settlers in the area were the French, who built Fort Presque Isle on the city’s site in 1753. The French abandoned the fort to the English, who lost it in 1763 at the start of Pontiac’s Rebellion. When General “Mad” Anthony Wayne induced the native tribes to make peace in 1794, the area was opened to settlement. The city was laid out in 1795 and became a port, engaged principally in the salt trade, in 1801. Erie became a borough in 1805, and was granted a city charter in 1851. The village of South Erie was incorporated as a borough in 1866, and was consolidated with Erie in 1870.

    The city’s history throughout the nineteenth century was dominated by activity on the lake. During the War of 1812 Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry used a harbor on the east side of Presque Isle as a base of operations for the critical Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813. Most of the victorious Perry’s ships were built in Erie. The fishing industry, which later gave Erie the name of being the largest fresh water fishing port in the world, began with the establishment of the Shaw Fish Company in 1821. The opening of the Erie and Pittsburgh Canal in 1844 brought a boom to business in the section; the canal did a profitable business for thirty years and lapsed quietly, despite the protests of the canal men, when the Erie and Pittsburgh Railroad bought it to eliminate competition.

    Erie grew into the third largest third city in Pennsylvania (it is now fourth). The last decades of the 1800s brought a golden age to Erie. In 1885 Erie adopted the electric trolley system, being the second city in the United States to do so. By 1900 Erie had become nationally known for the manufacture of its engines and boilers, which were shipped to all parts of the world.

    But the importance of the city and its port gradually diminished throughout the twentieth century as the development of automobiles, the railroad, and airplanes eroded the lake trade. In recent decades Erie has been the site of considerable renewal, developing the waterfront for resort activities, clearing buildings for parking lots to serve health care facilities and other projects.

    Our walking tour will ignore the Great Lake that gives the city purpose altogether, starting six blocks away in the city’s central park that is dedicated to the hero of the Battle of Lake Erie...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDoug Gelbert
    Release dateFeb 8, 2011
    ISBN9781458125484
    A Walking Tour of Erie, Pennsylvania

    Read more from Doug Gelbert

    Related to A Walking Tour of Erie, Pennsylvania

    Related ebooks

    United States Travel For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Meet History In St. Louis

      Oct 29, 2019

      Meet History In St. Louis
      3 min read

    • Article

      Steeped In History

      Dec 2, 2021

      Steeped In History
      3 min read

    • Article

      Tracking Omaha’s Past

      Mar 24, 2020

      Tracking Omaha’s Past
      3 min read

    • Article

      Gilding The Lilies

      Jun 26, 2022

      Gilding The Lilies
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Mile Of Shopping

      Apr 1, 2020

      A Mile Of Shopping
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Local Revival

      Nov 1, 2023

      A Local Revival
      7 min read

    • Article

      PICCADILLY Secrets

      May 22, 2020

      PICCADILLY Secrets
      5 min read

    • Article

      This Old House

      Jun 23, 2022

      This Old House
      2 min read

    • Article

      Built To Last

      Jul 1, 2022

      These man-made objects have grown into important sources of national pride to Americans. They also are iconic U.S. symbols to international visitors. The futuristic Space Needle was built for the 1962 World’s Fair hosted by Seattle, Washington. That

      4 min read

    • Article

      A WALK AROUND York

      Mar 5, 2023

      A WALK AROUND York
      6 min read

    • Article

      Out On The Town

      Sep 24, 2019

      Out On The Town
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Lure Of History

      May 26, 2021

      The Lure Of History
      7 min read

    • Article

      ‘Charm City’

      Feb 13, 2022

      Visitors to Baltimore generally head downtown to the Inner Harbor to admire its shops and view, feast on the city’s famous crab cakes or take in a Ravens or Orioles game, little aware that Baltimore is full of American history and antiques. Francis S

      10 min read

    • Article

      Totnes

      Jun 7, 2019

      Totnes
      2 min read

    • Article

      A Seat Of Legal Learning

      Oct 12, 2022

      A Seat Of Legal Learning
      7 min read

    • Article

      Secret Splendour

      Aug 2, 2023

      Secret Splendour
      7 min read

    • Article

      Revival Las Vegas

      Aug 22, 2023

      Revival Las Vegas
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Dynamite Destination

      May 3, 2022

      A Dynamite Destination
      3 min read

    • Article

      Grand Designs

      Oct 23, 2020

      Grand Designs
      4 min read

    • Article

      Dynamic Duo

      Aug 22, 2023

      Dynamic Duo
      3 min read

    • Article

      Dublin

      May 30, 2022

      Dublin
      3 min read

    • Article

      Rising Again

      Oct 21, 2020

      Rising Again
      7 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Walking Tour of Erie, Pennsylvania

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      A Walking Tour of Erie, Pennsylvania - Doug Gelbert

      A Walking Tour of Erie, Pennsylvania

      a walking tour in the Look Up, America series from walkthetown.com

      by Doug Gelbert

      published by Cruden Bay Books at Smashwords

      Copyright 2010 by Doug Gelbert

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher.

      Erie was named after the Eriez tribe, which was destroyed by a combination of pestilence and the Seneca nation under Chief Cornplanter in the mid-seventeenth century. The first European settlers in the area were the French, who built Fort Presque Isle on the city’s site in 1753. The French abandoned the fort to the English, who lost it in 1763 at the start of Pontiac’s Rebellion. When General Mad Anthony Wayne induced the native tribes to make peace in 1794, the area was opened to settlement. The city was laid out in 1795 and became a port, engaged principally in the salt trade, in 1801. Erie became a borough in 1805, and was granted a city charter in 1851. The village of South Erie was incorporated as a borough in 1866, and was consolidated with Erie in 1870.

      The city’s history throughout the nineteenth century was dominated by activity on the lake. During the War of 1812 Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry used a harbor on the east side of Presque Isle as a base of operations for the critical Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813. Most of the victorious Perry’s ships were built in Erie. The fishing industry, which

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1