History Inspires: Sisters of St. Joseph, Founding Families, and Erie Polonia

Contributed

This historic photo of the interior of Holy Trinity Church is part of a new exhibit on the Hagen History Center campus inside the Wood-Morrison House entitled "The Story of Us, Erie Polonia."

If you have never been to the Hagen History Center, it's fair to predict that you will be blown away on your first visit. The West Sixth Street campus, just a few blocks west of Perry Square, includes the Watson-Curtze Mansion, Wood-Morrison House, Carriage House Visitor Center and Gift Shop, as well as the New Exhibit Building, which opened to the public in 2021. Researching some local history? There is also the 10,000-square-foot King-Mertens Archive Building, which is home to over 800 unique collections within their research library and a professional staff eager to assist.

If you have passed through the Hagen History Center before, you already know that the permanent exhibits are so well done that they are worth revisiting throughout the year. This includes their Griswold Ironware Exhibit, Weschler Gallery of Military Service, the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit, and, "The Story of Us," a comprehensive and interactive look at the settling and development of Erie that, for a moment, might make you forget that you're not in a Smithsonian. Of course, a trip here wouldn't be complete without a chilling glimpse at the kettle in which Mad Anthony Wayne's body was boiled to recover his bones.

Plus, there is always something new among their rotating exhibits. Just this past year, these exhibits included "Triggering History: Legacy of Erie Firearms," "Generations of Impact: 165 Years of the YMCA of Greater Erie," and a guest exhibit curated by the Fort LeBoeuf Historical Society.

New to the Watson-Curtze Mansion this fall season is the Sisters of St. Joseph exhibit which celebrates their 165th year serving the Erie community. After arriving in Erie to teach, the sisters soon began caring for Erie's sick and those in need and were instrumental in the establishment of St. Vincent Hospital, St. Mary's Home of Erie, St. Patrick's Haven, the Villa Maria schools, and much more. Across the hallway for the next few months will be another new exhibit specifically highlighting the history of St. Vincent Hospital which opened up with a mere 12 beds in Sept. 1875. This room was curated by staff and volunteers from the hospital and shares its 150-year old history along with the nursing school. It also highlights doctors and many of the landmark surgeries that took place there over the years.

A new display within the Watson-Curtze Mansion features the Sisters of St. Joseph exhibit, which celebrates their 165th year serving the Erie community through the establishment of schools and hospitals. Contributed photo.

The Erie's Founding Families exhibit recently opened on the second floor of the mansion. This highlights the contributions of the Colts, Sanfords, and Spencers in the early years of Erie. As the museum points out, their contributions to Erie's earliest years "cannot be overstated." Laura G. Sanford, for instance, is often credited as Erie's first historian, having published The History of Erie County, Pennsylvania in 1862.

Next door on the second floor of the Wood-Morrison House is "The Story of Us, Erie Polonia," which opened to the public on Oct. 1 and can be viewed until the end of January 2026. As the Hagen History Center describes it: "This compelling exhibit traces the early history of Erie's Polish-American community – known as Polonia – through its deep ties to faith and neighborhood identity. Polish immigrants, strongly rooted in Catholic tradition, built churches as the heart of their communities."

Its opening corresponds with Polish American Heritage Month which is celebrated in October. It includes histories of St. Stanislaus, Holy Trinity, St. Hedwig, St. Casimir, and the Polish National Catholic Church while also intertwining the unique Polish neighborhoods that grew around them. It's a passion project curated by local historian Bobby J. Sulecki, winner of Hagen History Center's Public History Award in 2024, who also operates an online website Erie Polonia History and was featured in an Erie Reader story written by Liz Alen in 2023 for his work on Erie's Polish history.

This past summer, the Hagen History Center also released the second issue of The Triangle, their new yearly magazine released every July, which replaced their previous publication Journal of Erie Studies. Members receive a copy in their mailbox each summer, but they can also be purchased for $10 at the Carriage House Gift Shop. This 56-page edition includes a deep dive into the history of the Boston Store written by Dr. Pam Lenz, an exploration of our region's iconic and magical drive-in movie theaters written by Dr. Tiggy McLaughlin, and a story about the architects behind Erie's most iconic buildings and homes written by yours truly.

As winter approaches, you may want to stay in and be cozy, but the Hagen History Center still has you covered. This would be a perfect time to catch up on their website's deep archive of blog posts. Among hundreds of other blog posts, you can find archivist Steven Mooradian writing about local variety singer Shirley Gersims Sapper, Dr. Pamela Lenz discussing the rules at the old Waldameer Beach, KayAnn Warner sharing snippets from their Bliley Electric Company collection, and Jeff Sherry recounting the delicious tale of John S. Hicks' 19th century ice cream business.

Also available online is their community history project "African Americans in Erie County: A Trail of Shared Heritage," which includes historical profiles, timelines, and oral history interviews. Their project has a printable driving and walking tour brochure and a digital copy of the out-of-print book Journey From Jerusalem by Sarah Thompson, an exceptional and essential resource for those interested in Erie history.

The Hagen History Center campus is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Admissions is free for members, $12 for adults, $10 for veterans, and $7.50 for students. Children six and under are free.

Jonathan Burdick runs the public history project Rust & Dirt. He can be reached at jburdick@eriereader.com