I’ve been running and walking on the sidewalks of Erie for over 35 years. There’s something I’ve seen on all those walks and runs that continues to fascinate me. It’s the old metal plaques that are embedded in the sidewalks. The plaques were obviously placed in the concrete by the contractors when the sidewalks were laid many decades ago. The plaques contain the name of the contractor that did the work. There are at least six different plaques on my running route on West 29th Street between Chestnut and Elmwood.
I want to know the history of these plaques. I ask Mike Anthony, co-owner of Presque Isle Concrete Contractors, for help. He says the plaques were how sidewalk contractors advertised back in the day.
“They would sink their business names in the concrete, whether they were a placard or stamped in the concrete. They would be able to have people know who put the work down and who they would be able to call,” Mike explains…