About Us
The Erie Maritime Museum is a community gathering place welcoming audiences of all abilities and backgrounds to gather and experience the maritime history & heritage of the Commonwealth, including civilian activity and innovation, military service, and Pennsylvania’s contributions to the Great Lakes industry and our environment.
Our History
The Erie Maritime Museum & U.S. Brig Niagara are owned and administered by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission - the official historical agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Housed in a retired Pennsylvania Electric Company power station, the Museum opened in May of 1998, offering a permanent home for the U.S. Brig Niagara. Take a trip with us down memory lane as we explore our institutional history!
Building Niagara 2: 1913
With the conclusion of the War of 1812, the hastily built, yet iconic, Brig Niagara was deemed in excess of requirements for the early American Navy. Her fate was sealed in 1820 when the ship was scuttled (purposely sunk) in 1820 to preserve the ship’s hull. Niagara would rest at the bottom of Misery Bay - near the present-day Perry Monument at Presque Isle until ownership of the ship’s remains was transferred to the Centennial Commission. In 1911, William Morrison of the USS Wolverine was tasked with fundraising and directing the effort to raise Niagara from the bottom of the Bay. Diver surveys deemed the ship “worthy of restoration” and in March 1913, local shipbuilder William Paasch began the work of raising Niagara.
Once freed from the sand and mud, four chains were strapped to the hull and brought out of the water. The ship was then towed across the ice to Crystal Point on Presque Isle - beginning the first rebuild of Niagara in April 1913, ironically 100 years after the ship was first constructed. Only 10 percent of the original ship was used in the first rebuild of Niagara. This part of the work was conducted by Hansen and Lund - a pair of shipbuilders from Erie. The work was done without original plans (most likely there were no plans to begin with). The ship was launched in June and outfitted by Erie businesses before welcoming the first visitors aboard on July 2nd, 1913. This commenced Perry Week in Erie from July 6-12 of that year.
USS Wolverine was chartered to tow the Niagara throughout the Great Lakes on a two-month voyage in celebration of the Centennial of the Battle of Lake Erie. Throughout the two months, the ship was met with grandeur and enthusiastic crowds. She was said to have sailed under her own power on one occasion and did not fire a single shot from her replica guns. Once back in Erie, there was the question of who was to maintain the ship. Following the dissolution of the Centennial Commission, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania assumed ownership of Brig Niagara. In 1917, the Pennsylvania Legislature transferred ownership of the Brig from the Commonwealth to the City of Erie.
Building Niagara 3: 1928-1963
In 1929, the USS Niagara Foundation was formed to rebuild the ship once more however, the Great Depression stalled the process. In 1931, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania set aside $50,000 for reconstruction however, funding ran dry by 1938. In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appropriated $30,000 for the rebuilding of Niagara to become a WPA project. The Historical Commission contracted with Howard I. Chapelle, a noted maritime architect of historical ships, to design plans based on his knowledge of ships built elsewhere by Noah Brown. By 1943, the hull of Niagara 3 was launched without any masts, spars, or rigging. By this point, the majority of the original ship was gone - placed in storage, or turned into souvenirs.
Over the years, the ship further deteriorated resulting in the ship being placed in a concrete cradle on State Street while it waited for further state action. Local shipbuilder Herman Lund found “advanced rot in every one of the ship’s timbers without exception. Mr. Lund advised that the Commonwealth abandon its efforts to slowly rebuild this version of Niagara and, instead, do a full rebuild of the ship.
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission began brainstorming ideas about what to do with the ship. At this point, the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie was rapidly approaching. The “big ideas” about the ship’s future were set aside for the foreseeable future. In 1963, after 35 years, the ship was finally outfitted with rigging and guns and rededicated for the sesquicentennial.
Building Niagara 4: 1988-1992
By the late 1960s and 1970s, Niagara witnessed further decay. In 1973, the ship was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Despite efforts by historians, public officials, and local business owners, Niagara remained in a concrete cradle into the early 1980s. In collaboration with the Citizens of Erie and the newly formed Flagship Niagara League, resources were made available to fully rebuild Niagara - this time to make a fully functional sailing vessel. In 1984, the Legislature authorized one million dollars for the ship’s rebuild. Two years later, the commonwealth contracted noted shipbuilder Melbourne Smith to lead efforts. Smith commenced the dismantling of Niagara #3 and hoped to salvage as much of the historic vessel as possible. While most of the ship was severely dry rotted, more than one hundred pieces of the original ship were salvaged and eventually placed in nonstructural locations of the ship - enough to carry the tradition and spirit of Niagara.
On May 7th, 1988 the keel for Niagara #4 was laid just west of State Street. Construction of the hull moved quickly. On September 10, 1988, the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie, the hull of Niagara was launched in Presque Isle Bay on the wharf of Erie Sand and Gravel. Several thousand spectators watched as the ship was lifted into the water by a large crane. By Spring of 1990, the final stages of the project commenced. On June 5th, the process of stepping in the masts was done. For this version of Niagara, coins were embedded in the masts - an 1810 silver dollar and three 1990 dollars. On July 18th, 1990 sea trails were held and, one month later, Niagara was officially commissioned as the official Flagship of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Erie Maritime Museum
During the 1980s, the Pennsylvania Electric Company (PENELEC) decided to close down its power generator station located on Front Street in Erie, PA. This station, in operation since 1917, played a crucial role in providing electricity and heat to a significant area of downtown Erie, Pennsylvania. Inside the building were five coal-fired steam generators. Each generator operated at 1800 rpm and produced 17,000 kilowatts of power.
Of the five generators, unit #3 remains inside the Museum. Above the unit is the building’s crane which was built by Cleveland Crane. Furthermore, the building’s smokestack can still be viewed outside to this day!
Following the closure of Front Street Station, PENELEC officials were determined to demolish the complex, however, local officials were able to save the building. The goal was to clean up the bayfront and revitalize the area with plans. The plan hinged on the construction of a new Erie County Public Library building and the restoration of the former PENELEC turbine building. Erie’s Weber Murphy Fox architectural firm designed and oversaw the new library which opened in December 1996.
Before this, in 1993, the rehabilitation of the turbine building commenced - extensive cleaning and modification to the HVAC, and security systems, among other key infrastructure, took place. By the Spring of 1998, exhibits were nearly completed, as well as the berth for the Brig Niagara.
Finally, on May 21, 1998, the Erie Maritime Museum opened its doors to the public. What followed was a two-week celebration with speakers, dignitaries, living history reenactors, and an official ribbon-cutting ceremony.
