Built From Scratch
1:24 Scale Model, US Brig NIAGARA - Graciously Donated by Mr. James Humburg
Visitors to the Erie Maritime Museum are met with a variety of ship models - some large, some small. That being said, one, in particular, catches people’s attention more often than not. Measuring in at a massive 7.7’ x 5.2’ x 2.3’, this 1:24 scale model of the Brig NIAGARA rests near the northernmost point in the first floor of the Museum gallery.
This interpretation of NIAGARA is based on how she would have (ideally) appeared when she served as Oliver Hazard Perry's relief flagship in the Battle of Lake Erie, September 10th, 1813. It was built from scratch by James Humburg of Fremont, Ohio. To ensure accuracy, Mr. Humburg constructed his model from Melbourne Smith’s plans of the 1988 reconstruction of the U.S. Brig Niagara. Humburg originally rigged the Niagara model as a radio remote-controlled model, with a working motor, propeller, and rudder.
1:24 Scale Model, US Brig NIAGARA - Graciously Donated by Mr. James Humburg
History of the Model - Courtesy of Museum Curator, Linda Bolla
Around 2006 museum staff recruited Pete Gonzalez, a local model builder and museum volunteer to remove the remote-controlled wiring and features, in addition to restoration and cleaning. Visitors could see the rebuild, and the activity subsequently brought more model-maker volunteers onboard. In the Summer of 2008, Erie Maritime Museum was approached by Danny DeVito’s production company to use the SSV NIAGARA for filming an adaptation of the children’s book, The True Adventures of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi. The company also requested use of the model to begin production of sets. The film was ultimately cancelled, and the model was returned in 2009 with significant damage, prohibiting further display.
Gonzalez and his crew proposed that rather than restoring the model, they would transform the model into a representation of how NIAGARA appeared in 1813. This was a major undertaking, as all existing rigging, deck furniture, and sails would need to be removed and replaced with rigging and sails that were period-correct and functional. The existing masts and rigging could not be re-used, as it was attached by screws and hinges to allow for travel. The deck furniture reflected the vessel designed by Melbourne Smith, not the historical 1813 brig. The deck and hull had holes for wiring and propellers for remote-control function.
Work began June 20th, 2009, and was completed over five years. Virtually all deck furniture was crafted by hand. In many instances, materials used to rig the model (ropes, belaying pins, and cloth for spanker sail) needed to be fabricated in miniature before the model could be rigged. All knots, including the shrouds, ratlines, and such, were hand-tied. Lines are all functional and tied off to their proper pins or cleats.
1:24 Scale Model, US Brig NIAGARA - Graciously Donated by Mr. James Humburg
The model was moved into a custom-built wood-framed tempered-glass case in September, 2014, and the model remains on display today.
Prior to placing on display, another attempt was made (2013) to locate the owner or his estate, so that the model could properly be presented for acquisition. Linda Bolla had located Timothy Gagnon’s mother through his obituary. She shared her deceased son’s address book, and by calling all of his friends marked “RC” (remote-control club), was able to eliminate all but one of them, James Humburg, as makers of the original RC vessel. Attempts to contact Humburg were not successful – there was no info beyond his old contact information in Ohio. Because Gagnon’s mother remembered the gentleman as “advanced in years” in the early 1990’s, it was assumed that he was possibly deceased, too. Humburg, now 91 years old, had moved back to Fremont. Ohio, recently from Santa Fe, and in January, 2020, called the Erie Maritime Museum wondering whether his old RC models were ever used. He was happy to sign the Gift Agreement.
