The Erie YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) is one of the city’s oldest and original social service agencies that began serving the community in 1860. A religious society, it was established in Erie on August 20, 1860, during a meeting at Park Hall, over which E. L. Pelton presided. After its organization, meetings of the association were held for a year in the basement of different Protestant churches. Finally in June of 1861 rooms were procured in the Beatty block, on North Park Row, and the YMCA begun service by giving Erie its first library. A small library was established and soon after the old Irving Library of 700 volumes was entrusted to the care of the Association. A reading room was started, and a course of lectures, embracing some of the most eminent talent in the country, was maintained for several years.
In September of 1878 the Barr homestead, at Tenth and Peach streets, was purchased and fitted up for the use by the Association, which was improved from time to time, adding lecture room, gymnasium, and other facilities, until popular subscriptions in a campaign for the purpose provided funds for the erection of a modern-block hi-rise on the site of its former home, equipped in the most modern manner for the objectives of the organization, costing more than $200,000 in 1912.
A. McDowell Lyon was the first president of the Association, and was succeeded by A. H. Caughey. Among the Presidents of the Association have been W. R. Davenport, C. C. Shirk, Geo. D. Selden, N. J. Clark, W. W. Todd and L. M. Little; and among its general secretaries have been Orlin Stockwell, W. E. Wayte, F. A. Hatch, J. L. Gordon, J. C. Sims and W. D. Fellows. James C. Ainsworth (as in Ainsworth Field) was one of the directors of the YMCA for many years.
In 1881 the YMCA of Erie offered its first physical education class. The following year, in 1882, adult-education night classes were started, along with offering English classes for the newly arriving immigrants.
In 1915 Johnny Weissmuller performed a swimming exhibition at the downtown YMCA. The city saw the largest audience ever to witness an exhibition. People jammed their way into the limited capacity of the pool’s bleachers to watch the event. The biggest upset of the program, however, was Erie’s own William Wright's triumph over Johnny Weismuller, world's champion swimmer, in a special 40-yard race. It was this same Wright that finished in second place to Weismuller the year before in the Olympic trials that saw Erie’s own athlete disqualified.
 |
| The First YMCA at 10th and Peach Streets (1904) |
The First YMCA (picture above) was much smaller than the current one. The house on the left, at 23 West 10th Street, was used by Dr. Thomas H. Gray as his office from 1873 until about 1904. Dr. Gray was born in Erie County in 1841. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1871, and married Anna Kelso the following year. This Richardsonian Romanesque house was later used for business purposes, and was home of the New Willard Hotel and Cafeteria in 1922. It was demolished in 1924 to make way for the Erie Lighting Company Building.
 |
| The First YMCA at 10th and Peach Streets (1900) |
 |
| Constructed in 1912, the Current YMCA sits at the corner of 10th and Peach Streets, replacing the original building (1950s) |
 |
| The Peach Street entrance of the Downtown YMCA (late 1960s) |
 |
| The Current YMCA at 10th and Peach, Coffee Shop (1950s) |
