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Rambaldo “Rockets” into Hagen Archives - Hagen History Center
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.
Catarrh Got You Down? - Hagen History Center
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.
Bliley Electric Company collection becomes permanent part of archives (1930-1998) - Hagen History Center
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.
The Erieite you've never heard of who changed how the nation does business: E.H. Scott, father of transportation by motor - Hagen History Center
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.”
Paragon Building - Don't forget the place! - Hagen History Center
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.
Erielicious - Hagen History Center
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.
Baking a community coffee cake recipe - Hagen History Center
Baking has been around for ages. It is a timeless art, recipes passed down from generation to generation. I remember my grandma giving me some of her prized recipe books or my mom teaching me our treasured family recipes. It is a way to connect past to present, it speaks where words won’t. Baking holds a special place in my heart; it’s fun for me. I cannot remember a time when I was not in the kitchen baking. Whether it be during the holidays or a random day in June. I was researching in the archives and stumbled upon some old recipe books and thought to try a recipe out from it.
Looking back and looking ahead at Art’s Bakery - Hagen History Center
With new owners, Art’s Bakery is set to continue its Erie legacy.An Erie staple since 1950, Art’s Bakery is one of the mom-and-pop shops whose light continues to burn bright in this historic city. For the past 72 years, the Evans family kept the business afloat, consistently selling their highly acclaimed baked goods throughout the decades.
Event Spotlight: A Starlight Soiree - Hagen History Center
The Hagen History Center’s outdoor event season is in full swing. Warmer weather and sunnier days have us all excited for the busy schedule of events ahead. Our first event spotlight will showcase Erie Dawn’s “Starlight Soiree” - which was held at the Watson-Curtze Mansion on May 13th.
Excellence in Menswear - Hagen History Center
Have you ever visited a museum and been mesmerized by a piece of clothing or accessory you wish you could have for yourself? I’m here to tell you that you can. Or at least something very similar. This Wedding Wednesday post will take a look at formal menswear. Future grooms, pay attention!
Erie's connection to horse racing tied to Algeria Farm - Hagen History Center
It’s a very common hobby and passion that one researches their family history. Genealogy lovers across the globe spend hours searching for those missing links to create beautiful family trees, and learn the mysteries of their family history. While genealogy researching is well-known, did you know that horse lineage and pedigree has an immensely complex history as well?
Happiness & Long Life for All its Residents #118 - Hagen History Center
Advertising in the Erie Gazette in 1823 was a lot different than ads in newspapers today, and ads say quite a bit about the time period. Did you know that the man who gave the land for today’s Hamot Hospital, P.S.V. Hamot, was a store owner then? On the Hagen History Center website, look up blog #6 that I wrote in 2020 for a quick review on area hospitals and how they got started.
Happiness & Long Life for All its Residents #117 - Hagen History Center
What was life like in Erie 200 years ago? The year 1823 seems like a long time ago and life was certainly different. The city had a population of about 650 people, yet we had a newspaper, the “Erie Gazette,” that was published every Thursday.
Women making history: Meet Zanita Zacks-Gabriel and Andona Zacks-Jordan - Hagen History Center
For Women’s History Month, we’re thrilled to share that our neighbor has been making history for decades. And her daughter is following in her footsteps. At 402 W. Sixth St., Zanita Zacks-Gabriel and her daughter, Andona Zacks-Jordan, are great role models.
Happiness & Long Life for All its Residents #116 - Hagen History Center
In my journeys through the city of Erie, there is always a beautiful house that catches my eye. There is a house not far from the museum on West 6th Street, that for years I have referred to as the “Holland” house and have admired. Well, I just learned that for years, I have been wrong.
Happiness & Long Life for All its Residents #115 - Hagen History Center
Erie has no shortage of bars and social clubs. Especially in this post-COVID world, it feels good to get out, see people and get involved in something fun. I recently did that when I joined the Polish Falcons, Nest 610 on East 3rd Street. You do not have to be of Polish descent to belong, although I am 25% Polish. I needed to educate myself, and now you, about my new club.
Happiness & Long Life for All its Residents #114 - Hagen History Center
Sometimes when I sit down to write this blog, I get hungry. My mind then wanders to good cooking and then back to the museum collection because it is such an important part of my life. As I ponder our collection and food, my thoughts naturally are drawn to the extensive Griswold cast iron cookware we maintain. The Griswold Manufacturing Company hired the N.W. Ayer & Son advertising firm to promote themselves and what they came up with was highly effective. Please read the following:
John S. Hicks-Erie Confectioner and Ice Cream Manufacturer - Hagen History Center
John S. Hicks, son of a former slave, was born in Virginia on February 14, 1845. He began in the ice cream business in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1864. He moved to Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1878 and soon built his business in a large, modern building at 1216 State Street. He housed his ice cream “factory” in the basement, an ice cream parlor on the first floor and an apartment on the second floor, which he shared with his wife Frances and daughter Ida. The sidewalk in front of his establishment was concrete, the first of its kind on State Street.
Happiness & Long Life for All its Residents #111 - Hagen History Center
I LOVE to walk! It is such great exercise and the lack of any lasting snow this winter has made it easy to get out and breath some fresh air. I can clear my mind and notice things that I never observe with a quick drive. Erie is so walkable too! The topography of the city is mainly flat and there are sidewalks almost everywhere. Something wonderful happened on my last big walk-through town that I just have to tell you about.
Two African Americans Made the Ultimate Sacrifice in WW II - Hagen History Center
This blog is in recognition of Black History Month and the service of our region’s veterans.About 407,000 American service personnel gave their lives in World War II. Of the 727 from Erie County, only two were African Americans: James Walker Carter and William J. Butler. A new Black Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post was opened in their honor after the war named the Carter-Butler Post.
Name our beer! - Hagen History Center
It's time to name our beer! We'll soon be serving historic Koehler lager on our campus for specific events, thanks to an arrangement with Koehler Brewing Company. But we need your help to name that beer. Send your suggestions to Pam Parker pparker@eriehistory.org. Hurry! We hope to hop on a new name in two weeks! So put on your clever and scroll through these photos from our archives for some inspiration. We'll take care of the artwork.
Cookery Through Time #3 - Hagen History Center
I found this recipe in The New Cyclopaedia of Domestic Economy, and Practical Housekeeper: Adapted to All Classes of Society and Comprising Subjects Connected with the Interests of Every Family, and Five Thousand Practical Receipts and Maxims. From the Best English, French, German, and American Sources. United States, H. Bill, 1872.I am beginning to realize these Victorian era books have VERY long and extravagant titles.
Happiness & Long Life for All its Residents # 108 - Hagen History Center
I began blogging about John Nolen’s book “Greater Erie Plans and Reports for the Extension and Improvement of the City” written in 1913 with blog #95 and have since commented on the whole book. The question that I posed then was “why didn’t Erie grow as large as Buffalo or Cleveland”? I hoped that the book would provide an answer. It really did not because so many of the recommendations that Nolen made were followed.
The USS Erie in WW II - Hagen History Center
The USS Erie, (PG-50) classified as a gunboat rather than a cruiser, (most US Navy ships named for cities were cruisers) launched at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1936. The ship was christened by Mrs. Ida Knoll of Erie, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Knoll was the mother of future Rear Admiral, Denys Knoll, United States Navy. The new ship was had a displacement of 2,000 tons, 328 feet in length, 41’3” wide and carried a compliment of 234 sailors and marines. She was armed with four 6” guns, two quad machine guns and two 3-ponders. The ship also carried a floatplane used for reconnaissance.
Happiness & Long Life for All its Residents #107 - Hagen History Center
A few blogs ago I wrote about the variety and number of businesses that were located in downtown Erie. I pulled the 1913 Erie City Directory for some of that information and was impressed by all the dressmakers I found in the book. Today, we think nothing about going to a store and picking up what we want “off the rack.” Well, that is not always the case for those of us with harder to find sizes (I am taller than the average) so we shop the internet or get something altered. Who were these dressmakers?
Jeff Sherry, Museum Educator - Hagen History Center
The USS Erie, (PG-50) classified as a gunboat rather than a cruiser, (most US Navy ships named for cities were cruisers) launched at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1936. The ship was christened by Mrs. Ida Knoll of Erie, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Knoll was the mother of future Rear Admiral, Denys Knoll, United States Navy. The new ship was had a displacement of 2,000 tons, 328 feet in length, 41’3” wide and carried a compliment of 234 sailors and marines. She was armed with four 6” guns, two quad machine guns and two 3-ponders. The ship also carried a floatplane used for reconnaissance.
Happiness & Long Life for All its Residents #106 - Hagen History Center
Just when I thought I knew about every notable person from Erie, I was wrong. In reading John Nolen’s 1913 recommendations to Erie, I found the following sentence: “Horace Greeley, Dan Rice and Denman Thompson, names familiar to American people, figure prominently in the history of Erie County.” Denman who??
Joe Root in Erie - Part 2 - Hagen History Center
Joe Root lived alone on the Peninsula but despite this he held quite the social circle. His trips across the bay were made possible by friendly fishermen who would give him passage free of charge. After landing at the foot of State Street, Joe would take quarter in Sullivan’s Saloon before trudging into town.
Then and Now-The Eagles of the USS Michigan/Wolverine - Hagen History Center
Over the past several weeks, a series of blogs about the service of the United States Paddle Wheel Frigate Michigan/Wolverine have appeared here on this website. Michigan/Wolverine was truly a fascinating ship. The first iron-hulled ship in the United States Navy. Commissioned as the USS Michigan in 1845, she spent her entire career on the Great Lakes. Her home port was Erie, Pennsylvania. Over her lengthy career, so many officers and enlisted sailors stationed aboard the ship married Erie women, she city earned the nickname “Mother-in-law of the Navy.” The ship was one of the longest continuously serving ships in U.S. Naval history. This short blog will examine one of the remaining artifacts of this ship.
Joe Root “King of the Peninsula” - Part 1 - Hagen History Center
The legend of Joe Root is one both of fact and fiction. Despite his humble appearance he was a king in his own right. In the place of a bejeweled cloak were tattered trousers and in the place of a crown was a ragged hat. His kingdom was the Peninsula, and his treasure was the nature on her shores. Joe feasted on raw fish and berries in his castle of a wooden crate. Images such as this conjure a larger-than-life folk figure that we romanticize today. Fueled by the obscurity of who Joe root was and where he came from further fire the lore. Surprisingly enough there is truth in the mystery that was Presque Isle’s hermit.