Outreach Programs
Bring a Society educator to your classroom for a sixty to ninety minute interactive program. Each outreach program is designed to allow students experiences not typical in the classroom and to promote the study of local history. Presentations include hands-on artifacts, primary documents and photographs, games and activities.
Program Topics
Native Americans of Erie County, Pennsylvania
Learn about the Eriez and Iroquois Indians who once lived in this region.
The Settlement of Erie: Town & County
Find out how Erie transformed from a frontier town into an active port city.
The Underground Railroad in Erie County, Pennsylvania
Follow the ‘Drinking Gourd’ to Erie County, a place that served as a vital segment of the Underground Railroad from the 1830s through the 1850s.
From Erie to Pittsburgh in 36 Hours: The Erie Extension Canal
Explore the long lost Erie Extension Canal, from its costly construction to its demise in 1871.
All Aboard! The History of Erie’s Railways
Discover Erie’s early train and trolley systems.
Ethnic Erie: Our Cultural Heritage
Learn about the immigrant families who have come to Erie, city and county, over the last 200 years.
Erie Ghosts & Legends
In the security of your own classroom, we will explain bizarre details of the town’s earliest executions, murder in cold blood, vanishing corpses, the cruelty of fate, and of course, ghosts.
Schedule an outreach program for your classroom for $25 (for a group of 50 students). Discounts are available for groups wishing to schedule more than one outreach program. Call 814.454.1813 x24 for additional information and availability.
Free Local History Slide Presentations
ECHS also maintains a selection of slide programs that may be borrowed free of charge for a period of one week. Each program includes a script, slides and a carousel, and is approximately 45 minutes in length. A $25 refundable deposit is required at the time of pick-up. Please call 814.454.1813 x24 for additional program information. Programs are suitable for all ages.
Available programs include:
- African Americans in Erie: 200 Years of History - A chronological introduction to Erie’s African American community.
- Artwork of Erie: A Turn of the Century Portrait - A collection of photographs of Erie published in 1896 and 1906.
- The Bayfront, Erie, Pennsylvania - An overview of changing land use patterns from settlement to the late 1990’s.
- From Pot Ash to Plastics - An overview of the industrial history of Erie County.
- Historic Sites in Erie County - Presentation focuses on the early settlement and events of the 19th century.
- Ships of Erie - History of Erie as a port and shipbuilding center.
- Downtown Erie 1960 - 1988 - Presents 25+ years of change in the City of Erie.