I know we’re all feeling that Spring Fever coming on – a little extra sunshine has me itching to leave my coat at home and go explore. But I know it’s only February, so what’s a girl to do when she wants to get out of the house and celebrate Black History Month? Luckily, Erie legend Johnny Johnson’s Shared Heritage Project (co-authored by historians Melinda Meyer and Chris Magoc) created a driving tour of 29 locations and an educational pamphlet outlining the history of each. So, I got into my 2009 Camry and hit the road.
The weather, on par for Erie in February, has been unpredictable, so I broke my tour up into three parts. Eventually, I’d like to make a full day of this drive that includes Lawrence Park and Harborcreek to the East, McKean and Edinboro to the South, and Girard to the West, as well as 21 locations in the city proper.
My personal favorite from this list is the Erie Cemetery, which is beautiful any time of year and the final resting place of Erie native and composer Harry T. Burleigh. But I have always been intrigued by the old stone house at East Lake Road and Water Street (the Crowley House) in Lawrence Park, and was so interested to learn more about its history as a probable Underground Railroad station, with a tunnel leading from the house to the bank of Four Mile Creek…