Erie

History

A settlement named "Erie", later referred to as "Old Erie" and "Beantown USA", was platted northwest of the present townsite, while another community, known as Crawfordsville, was started two miles northeast of the current site. In 1866, the proprietors of these two towns made a compromise to abandon the towns and combine with the settlement at the present Erie site. Four men gave 40 acres each, that butted together, out of their 160-acre shares, to create the city plat of Erie. These men were: David Bray, Luther Puckett, John Himmelwright and Peter Walter. In November of that year the Erie Town Company was formed. Each member of this company donated forty acres of land in the center of Section 32, Township 28, Range 20 east. Each member was to buy city plots and improve them. Erie's first fire company was established in November 1866; its charter members were those men who had donated the land on which the community was built. The first log home in Erie was built in 1866, while the first businesses were built in the following year. By 1883, the city had two general stores, two blacksmith shops, one drug store, two hotels, one newspaper office, two churches, and a population of about 300. In 1872, Erie was designated the county seat of Neosho County, defeating "Osage Mission" (later renamed Saint Paul) in a contentious election. After a lawsuit reached the Kansas Supreme Court, Erie retained the position of county seat.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Erie has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  450
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  370
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  367
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  364
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  363
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  315
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  309
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  306

Largest nearby schools

• Erie Elementary
  Elementary · Erie · 208 students · 16:1 ratio
• Erie High School
  High · Erie · 143 students · 11:1 ratio
• St. Paul Elementary School
  Elementary · St. Paul · 130 students · 11.8:1 ratio
• Galesburg Middle School
  Middle · Galesburg · 92 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• St. Paul High School
  High · St. Paul · 69 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• St. Paul Middle School
  Middle · St. Paul · 46 students · 15.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2025-12-26
  5 km SSW of Peru, Kansas
• M 2.8 — 2014-11-13
  5 km WNW of Prescott, Kansas
• M 3 — 2014-10-01
  9 km SSW of Galesburg, Kansas