Waterford Bourough Historic District

Along High Street in Waterford, about twenty miles south of Erie, a district of 42 contributing buildings dating from 1820 to 1939 surrounds a town square laid out on a grid in 1794. Its commercial growth came from serving local farmers and travelers on the Waterford Turnpike, which opened in 1809 and connected Erie with High Street. Waterford did not attract a canal or railroad, so it kept its trade with the surrounding region. Judson's store of 1820 and the stone Eagle Hotel of 1826 mark the start of this trade, followed by Italianate row buildings from the late nineteenth century. Repeated fires, including a major blaze in 1895, led the town to ban frame construction on High Street and rebuild in brick. St. Peter's Episcopal Church of 1832 and a Presbyterian church of about 1850 face each other across the square. The district is regarded as one of the best concentrations of nineteenth and early twentieth century architectural styles in Erie County.