Blog

Historically, clothing and fashion are linked to many aspects of a culture, often reflecting what is happening in society during a given era. As the devastation of war in the 1940s swept across the world, clothing and fashion were naturally impacted globally as well.

Before I moved to Erie in 2016, I lived in Fairfax County, Virginia for over 30 years. Fairfax County is just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. During the Civil War the corridor between Washington and Richmond was a hotly contested battleground. Thus, the war played a heavy hand in Fairfax County from 1861-1865 and while I lived there, I visited many of its historic sites.  One of these was the Blenheim House near Fairfax Courthouse, about 17 miles west of Washington, D.C. The Blenheim House has an Erie connection which I will explain shortly. (Note: During the Civil War, the house was known as the Wilcoxon House. It was renamed Blenheim House in about 1900).

This Memorial Day, “The Wall That Heals,” a portable version of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. will visit Erie. In recognition of the visit of “The Wall That Heals,” the Hagen History Center will recognize the 59 servicemen from Erie County that are among the over 58,000 Americans who gave their lives in Southeast Asia. Each week, a few veterans will be featured on our social media. The week of Memorial Day, several servicemen will be honored.

Before I moved to Erie in 2016, I lived in Fairfax County, Virginia for over 30 years. Fairfax County is just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. During the Civil War the corridor between Washington and Richmond was a hotly contested battleground. Thus, the war played a heavy hand in Fairfax County from 1861-1865 and while I lived there, I visited many of its historic sites.  One of these was the Blenheim House near Fairfax Courthouse, about 17 miles west of Washington, D.C. The Blenheim House has an Erie connection which I will explain shortly. (Note: During the Civil War, the house was known as the Wilcoxon House. It was renamed Blenheim House in about 1900). 

This Memorial Day, “The Wall That Heals,” a portable version of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. will visit Erie. In recognition of the visit of “The Wall That Heals,” the Hagen History Center will recognize the 59 servicemen from Erie County that are among the over 58,000 Americans who gave their lives in Southeast Asia. Each week, a few veterans will be featured on our social media. The week of Memorial Day, several servicemen will be honored.

Before I moved to Erie in 2016, I lived in Fairfax County, Virginia for over 30 years. Fairfax County is just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. During the Civil War the corridor between Washington and Richmond was a hotly contested battleground. Thus, the war played a heavy hand in Fairfax County from 1861-1865 and while I lived there, I visited many of its historic sites.  One of these was the Blenheim House near Fairfax Courthouse, about 17 miles west of Washington, D.C. The Blenheim House has an Erie connection which I will explain shortly. (Note: During the Civil War, the house was known as the Wilcoxon House. It was renamed Blenheim House in about 1900).

Today we will look at telephones and how they have evolved. Many might think of Alexander Graham Bell as the inventor of the telephone, but that isn’t completely true. Yes, Bell has the first U.S. patent for inventing the telephone in 1876, however; in 1854, Antonio Meucci constructed a telephone-like device. Prior to Meucci there were other people inventing forms of communication which date back to 1672. If we went that far back though, this might become a multi-blog discussion.

This Memorial Day, “The Wall That Heals,” a portable version of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. will visit Erie. In recognition of the visit of “The Wall That Heals,” the Hagen History Center will recognize the 59 servicemen from Erie County that are among the over 58,000 Americans who gave their lives in Southeast Asia. Each week, a few veterans will be featured on our social media. The week of Memorial Day, several servicemen will be honored.

It is wonderful to witness the reuse of many of the older buildings here in Erie.  One that most of us are familiar with and has had many different “lives” is the Cashier’s House located at 417 State Street.

This Memorial Day, “The Wall That Heals,” a portable version of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. will visit Erie. In recognition of the visit of “The Wall That Heals,” the Hagen History Center will recognize the 59 servicemen from Erie County that are among the over 58,000 Americans who gave their lives in Southeast Asia. Each week, a few veterans will be featured on our social media. The week of Memorial Day, several servicemen will be honored.