Take Your Beer For A Walk: February 2026

Jeff McCullor

Take a walk with Jeff McCullor (and a beer) as he celebrates his columnar anniversary and explores Erie's gubernatorial institutions that have undergone welcome electoral changes this year.

Well friends, raise a local beer container of your choosing, we have made it a full journey around the sun together, as this is the 12th time for both of us to take our beer for a walk. We did it! What started as a mildly snarky column about embracing Erie's open container policy (or lack of policy, technically) has organically blossomed into a fun monthly traversal of Erie's streetscapes with a local beverage in-hand. So let's lace up our sneakies and get some steps in as we drink a drink and see some stuff along the way.

So where are we headed on this casual anniversary of some exercise-influenced drinking with a side of sightseeing? I think a fitting place to start is right along State Street across from City Hall at 626 State St. There's a new mayor in the captain's chair, along with a whole new administration, and I think we're all hopeful – dare I say excited – to see what this group of humans has in store for us. Cleaner streets? A reimagined Celebrate Erie? Mayoral happy hours? Whatever they may be, I'm here for it, as I'm sure you are too. Cheers to you, City Hall!

Let's take a stroll north along State, crossing the street to the west side of Perry Square, taking the wide sidewalk along the park to the intersection of Peach and West Sixth streets. We'll cross Peach along the south side of the intersection, with Gannon University's Old Main looming. The Strong Mansion, a 46-room structure, was completed in 1893 for William L. Scott, who died before he could live there and willed the home to his daughter, who had a bunch of names: Annie Wainwright Scott Strong, and her husband, Charles Hamot Strong. They held giant parties and entertained big-name guests like Presidents Grover Cleveland and William Howard Taft. In your spare time Google "William Howard Taft Erie PA" for an unfortunate alleged story about a bathtub. Anywho, cheers to you, Old Main!

Next let's head about 100 paces farther west so the Erie County Courthouse is directly across the street. Like at City Hall, there's a new leadership team in charge and again, like around the corner, I'm excited and hopeful for the new group leading the whole county into the future. The collective human brainpower inside both of these buildings should add up to quite a lot of positivity in our community, don't you think? Cheers to you, county leadership folks!

One more stop, then we'll call it a day. Continue trekking west across Sassafras to the second door on your left. Does this giant, stately home appear as though it wasn't originally built there? Maybe because it was MOVED from somewhere else? You're looking at the Olds-Norman house, a particularly unique restoration project because yes, indeed, this structure was moved from West Seventh, straight through its original backyard, rotated, and repositioned on West Sixth. For those of you who find it difficult to parallel park your car, these house-moving folks live their lives at an elite level. Cheers to you, moving people and your impressive house-maneuvering feats!

Thank you for taking a milestone walk with me and drinking a local beverage along the way. Keep up the good work!

Jeff McCullor is the co-owner of Erie Ale Works. He can be reached at jeff@eriealeworks.com