History of Erie, Pennsylvania

The French built Fort Presque Isle near present-day Erie in 1753, as part of their effort to garrison New France against the encroaching English.

The French word "Presque-isle" means peninsula (literally "almost an island") and refers to that piece of land that juts into Lake Erie that is now called Presque Isle State Park.

[1] Present day Erie would have been situated in a disputed triangle of land that was claimed by the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut (as part of its Western Reserve), and Massachusetts.

[2][3] In 1795, Colonel Seth Reed and his family, natives of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, moved here from Geneva, New York, to become the first European settlers of Erie.

Noted shipbuilders Daniel Dobbins of Erie and Noah Brown of New York led construction of four schooner-rigged gunboats and two brigs.

The citizens of Erie, led by the mayor, set fire to bridges, ripped up track, and in general did everything imaginable to prevent the change.

Being a border town, Erie was an important transportation hub in the rum-running of illicit liquor across the lake from Canada during Prohibition in the United States.

Intervention by the state police was not welcomed by Mayor Miles B. Kitts, who went to Harrisburg and testified before well-publicized hearings conducted by Pennsylvania Governor William C. Sproul.

[10] The Great Depression deflated Erie's enthusiasm for lawlessness and prompted a solid political movement towards repeal of Prohibition.

[13] The DID plan includes building several mid-rise and high-rise structures which will be used primarily for housing and retail expansion in the city center.

In January 2007, GAF, an asphalt shingle manufacturer announced plans to relocate to Eastern Pennsylvania,[14] thus making available several extremely valuable acres next to the Convention Center and hotel under construction.