Girard in Erie County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

About This Stone Pillar

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel

1. About This Stone Pillar Marker

Inscription. Dan Rice arrived in Girard in 1854. He purchased several acres in the center of Girard borough and built a large estate where you are standing now. Dan Rice was one of Girard's most famous citizens. He owned his own circus and housed his circus employees and animals here in the winter months before taking them out on his traveling show in the spring.
This stone pillar in front of you is one of several that remain in the area from the stone wall that surrounded his estate circa 1860. During that time, his house was said to be one of the finest homes in Erie County. Two of the original pillars remain on this property and two are at the entrance of Lake Erie Community Park in Girard Township.
Dan Rice lived here approximately 33 years but had a lasting impact in our community as the town still celebrates "Dan Rice Days” yearly on the first weekend in August. The Girard Area has a rich historical history.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Places. A significant historical year for this entry is 1854.

Location. 42° 0.072′ N, 80° 19.032′ W. Marker is in Girard, Pennsylvania, in Erie County. It can be reached from Mechanic Street north of Main Street (U.S. 20). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Girard PA 16417, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northwestern Pennsylvania

and in Greater Erie. It is also in the American Northeast,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within

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8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Charlotte Elizabeth Battles (within shouting distance of this marker); Erie County Soldiers' Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Circus History (within shouting distance of this marker); Abraham Lincoln in Lake City, PA (Girard Station) (approx. 1.7 miles away); Erie Extension Canal (approx. 3½ miles away); Old State Line (approx. 4½ miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 6.7 miles away); a different marker also named Veterans Memorial (approx. 7.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Girard.

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel

2. About This Stone Pillar Marker

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel

3. About This Stone Pillar Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 21, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 21, 2021, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 753 times since then and 69 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 21, 2021, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.