Dateline May 24, 1817
Neighbours of the Dickson Tavern, located at 2nd and French street in Erie, have filed a complaint with the city stating that the drinking establishment has become a nuisance.
Neighbor Jebediah Pike is leading the charge. “The loud fife music and general rowdiness has befouled the area for too long. ‘Tis an affront to one’s ears.”
James Smith, who lives on the outskirts of town, two blocks away, stated “Ye cannot get to sleep at a decent hour, for the hearing of musket fire after an all-night ale bender will surely sully your slumber.”
Thaddeus Boatwright IV, who lives next door to the Dickson Tavern, states, “Not an evening goes by without at least one incident of drunken fisticuffs. I myself have found wooden teeth on my lawn during my morning travels to the outhouse.”
Several women in the neighbourhood were asked for their comment on the tavern, but were forbidden by their husbands to speak.
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