We recently came across a poignant statistic: Only a small percentage of Americans can readily name all eight of their great-grandparents. According to a 2019 survey by Ancestry®: – About 21 percent of Americans don’t know which city any of their grandparents were born in.– 14 percent don’t know what any of their grandparents doContinue reading “Mayhem at the Cottage”
Tag Archives: history
The Portage Escarpment
Background In our earlier Blog, “Formation of the Falls Run Gorge,” we discussed the potential dynamics of how the Gorge and Falls formed during the end of the Laurentide Ice Age over 12,000 years ago. Further review of literature on similar gorges in Ohio and New York allowed us to refine these dynamics further andContinue reading “The Portage Escarpment”
Route 98 Dedication, 1926
As we wrote in our blog “Crossing the Divide; The Challenge of Bridging Elk Creek,” the dedication of a new concrete bridge across Elk Creek was an auspicious occasion in early August 1926. On hand were over 100 dignitaries and local residents. One of those residents in attendance was George Howard, who had been askedContinue reading “Route 98 Dedication, 1926”
Crossing the Divide
The Challenge of Bridging Elk Creek Prologue:In early August 1926, over 100 people gathered at Elk Creek, where the state highway connecting Fairview and Franklin Township crossed the stream as reported by The Erie Daily Times. In attendance were Fairview and Franklin residents as well as county and local officials. It was a momentous occasionContinue reading “Crossing the Divide”
Hillside
Prologue: Last week the Girl Scouts of America received a record donation of $84.5 million from Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Among other uses, the grant is meant to “create more equitable membership opportunities in communities that have been under-engaged” and “foster meaningful program innovation informed by the current interests and needs of girls to prepare themContinue reading “Hillside”
Moses and Philena (Whiting) Baker
Prologue: In an earlier blog, Howard Falls vs. Suburban Sprawl, we discussed how the population of Franklin Township grew exponentially in the latter half of the 1800s, peaking at about 1,000 citizens by 1880. Even in the most remote parts of the township, such as where Henry and Levi Howard lived, neighbors began to settleContinue reading “Moses and Philena (Whiting) Baker”
Early Surveys of Erie County
As mentioned in our previous blog, “History of Franklin Township,” most of the land in Northwestern Pennsylvania came under the control of the newly formed United States of America with the 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix. The following year, however, disputes of land claims within the colonies began, and a boundary dispute between New YorkContinue reading “Early Surveys of Erie County”
Howard Falls vs Suburban Sprawl
As mentioned in a previous blog (Early Scientific Research at Howard Falls) the remoteness of Franklin Township delayed its settlement compared to other areas of Erie County. In the 1820’s the area was still very sparsely settled. There were no bridges over Elk Creek, none of the roads present today even existed, and the only roadContinue reading “Howard Falls vs Suburban Sprawl”