Erie's Maritime Heritage

With a natural harbor considered the best on the lake, Erie rose to prominence in the 19th century as a maritime center. Along with shipbuilding and fishing, its docks became a hub of travel and trade. In 1812-1813, six warships, including the Brig Niagara, were built there, and Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry led them to victory over the British at the Battle of Lake Erie on September 13, 1813. Beginning in the 1830's, Erie's steamboat fleet carried passengers and goods between the Erie Canal at Buffalo, the Port of Erie, and Western Lake Erie. In 1843, the first iron hulled warship on the Great Lakes, the U.S.S. Michigan, later renamed the Wolverine, was built in Erie and stationed there until 1949. In 1844, the Erie Extension Canal opened, linking Erie to Pittsburgh and the Ohio River Valley. At its height in the 1920's, the largest freshwater fishing fleet in the world was based in Erie's harbor. During this period, the lighthouses there played a critical role in guiding ships safely into the harbor and were instrumental in the development of the United States.

Erie, Pennsylvania · United States