While many people know us for the Watson-Curtze Mansion, our organization has a rich history in Erie County.
The first 100+ years
1898: The Erie Public Museum started collecting items for exhibit. Then in 1903, the Erie County Historical Society (ECHS) was developed and began preserving Erie’s history in a shared space at the Erie Public Library.
1930s: The ECHS moved to the Customs House at 4th and State Street. The neighboring Cashiers House provided extra storage space.
1942: The Erie School District, which owned the Watson-Curtze mansion, converted it into the Erie Public Museum. This was done after the death of previous owner Frederick Curtze in 1941. It was the Curtze family vision that their former home be used for the “promotion for the education of all persons."
An independent entity, the Erie Public Museum, was formed and the school district created a Museum Authority in 1979. The house then became the Erie Historical Museum and Planetarium.
1992: The ECHS was housed in the History Center. The center was in the former Heyl Pharmacy building at 419 State Street.
2000: There was a formal merger between the Erie Historical Museum and Planetarium and the Erie County Historical Society to become the Erie County Historical Society and Museums.
2014: The ECHS consolidated its operations and created the Hagen History Center campus on West 6th Street and Chestnut. The plan repurposed the mansion with a house museum on the first floor of the mansion and a regional history museum on the second and third floors with 11 thematic and rotating galleries. The Planetarium moved to Penn State-Behrend campus and the former carriage house was re-purposed for offices, a gift shop and a research library.
2015: Throughout the year, public operations were curtailed while the facilities were renovated, the new exhibits were installed and the new 10,000 sq. ft. King–Mertens Archives Building was constructed.
2016: After over two years of construction and moving from the old History Center on State St., ECHS acquired the largest privately held collection of Erie-related Civil War artifacts. The exhibit “Erie County and the Civil War” opened in the mansion, and the historic Battles Estate farmhouses opened for Girard’s Dan Rice Days.
2017: The organization purchased the neighboring Wood-Morrison House, ca. 1858, as the first step toward a plan for future expansion.
2018: The Wood-Morrison House underwent a 10-month restoration to become the ECHS Education Center. Naval surgeon Dr. William Wood, builder of the house, became the first Surgeon General of the Navy. William Morrison, whose family became the second owners, was the last captain of the USS Wolverine and the first Superintendent of Presque Isle State Park in Erie County. The Erie Extension Canal, built in the 1830s, ran next door. Its barn, which predates the house, was built to keep the mules that pulled barges along the canal. ECHS began an important project to digitally index and modernize its extensive archives, holding over 200 years of Erie history.
2019: The ECHS constructed a new exhibit building on the Hagen History Center Campus behind the Wood-Morrison House for exhibits that would fill the 6,000 sq. ft. building’s two floors.
2020: Construction began on new exhibits in the Wood-Morrison House, the Watson-Curtze Mansion, and the new exhibit building, but the process was delayed due to COVID-19.
2021:The campus reopened with multiple new exhibits. Most notable, is the addition of Architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s original San Francisco office, earning the campus national recognition. Erie architecture also surround the space. New exhibits in the Watson-Curtze Mansion included: Servants' Quarters, a Victorian dress exhibit, Battles Bank President Charlotte Elizabeth Battles’ clothing, personal paintings and furnishings.
Executive Director George Deutsch retired after a 5-year tenure.
2022: the Story of Us opened in 3,000 square feet on the second floor of the new exhibit building with a comprehensive history of Erie County, tracing its roots back to Native Americans and all the founding ethnic groups who built neighborhoods, churches, schools, industries, businesses, social clubs and more.
The Watson-Curtze mansion added multiple new exhibits including Jewish Heritage exhibit that included objects from Temple Anshe Hesed and from our collection and special thanks to Gary and Barb Shapira who loaned us some artifacts.
In the Wood-Morrison House, uniforms and stories shared the lives of Navy Nurse Bobbi Hovis, of Edinboro; Colonel Ross Anthony “Tony” Snow, M.D., of Erie; Tom Ridge's uniform; the Erie Extension Canal; numerous additional stories and the naval history of our community.
Caleb Pifer was appointed the new Executive Director. He had previously been the executive director from 2013 to 2016.
2023: Our staff and volunteers turned attention to the Battles Estate in Girard, where the Yellow House, 436 Walnut St., Girard, received exterior and interior renovations. We hosted a variety of public events inside and outside at the Yellow House beginning in July.
We held our annual meeting, culinary classes, farm-to-table dinners, popup dinners, weddings and other private events took place at the Yellow House. The second floor of the house is a fully-equipped apartment available for lease on Airbnb.
Renovations began on the White House, 306 Walnut St., as well.
