1920's
Shortly after the move to the Masonic Building, John S. Rilling was appointed to the Pennsylvania Public Service Commission and moved to Harrisburg. A.O. Chapin and W. Pitt Gifford joined the firm which renamed to become Gunnison, Fish, Gifford & Chapin. Its clients included Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad, Nickel Plate Railroad, United States Steel, Second National Bank, and the William Scott Estate. Henry Fish became a leading corporate attorney, representing Hammermill, American Sterilizer and First National Bank.
During Prohibition, Erie was a wet city with speakeasies opening up across the city. The city was an important transportation hub for rum-running. Prohibition ended when the Twenty-first Amendment was adopted in 1933.
Erie Insurance was founded in 1925, and it has since become a Fortune 500 company and one of Erie’s largest employers.
Presque Isle State Park was established in 1921 and remains a popular tourist destination to this day.
