Erie County, Pennsylvania

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History

Erie County was established on March 12, 1800. Prior to 1792, the region was claimed by both New York and Pennsylvania and so no county demarcations were made until the federal government intervened.

On March 23, 1823, the Erie County Courthouse burned and all county records to that point were destroyed.

The county was originally settled by immigrants of "Yankee" stock (immigrants from New England and the western part of New York descended from the English Puritans whose ancestors settled New England in the colonial era). Erie County resembled Upstate New York more than it did Pennsylvania with its population primarily consisting of settlers from Connecticut, Rhode Island and Maine. Roads were laid out, post routes established, public buildings erected and people were invited to move there. The original settlers were entirely of New England origins or were Yankees from upstate New York whose families had moved to that place from New England only one generation earlier, in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War. This resulted in Erie County being culturally very contiguous with early New England culture.

Erie County was part of the Underground Railroad giving slaves the ability to gain freedom through Lake Erie into Canada, East through New York State, or to stay in Erie with the help of abolitionists and the free black community. Today, the "Journey to Freedom" educational program provides an interactive program on the Underground Railroad experience.

Adjacent Counties & Provinces

• Province of Ontario
• Chautauqua County, NY
• Warren County
• Crawford County
• Ashtabula County, Ohio

Cities & Boroughs

• Albion
• Corry
• Cranesville
• Edinboro
• Elgin
• Erie (County Seat)
• Girard
• Lake City
• McKean
• Mill Village
• North East
• Platea
• Union City
• Waterford
• Wattsburg
• Wesleyville

Other Townships & Communities: Amity, Avonia, Concord, Conneaut, Elk Creek, Fairview, Franklin, Greene, Greenfield, Harborcreek, Lawrence Park, LeBoeuf, Millcreek, Penn State Erie (Behrend), Springfield, Summit, Union, Venango, Washington and Wayne

Links

Wikipedia

Nat'l Reg. of Hist. Places

RootsWeb