ERIE, PA — Pennsylvania’s official flagship, the U.S. Brig Niagara, returned to its home port Friday after a $6.9 million restoration project, reopening one of the state’s most prominent historic attractions ahead of Independence Day celebrations and America’s 250th anniversary observances.
The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission welcomed the vessel back to the Erie Maritime Museum following the completion of an extensive refit funded through a Department of General Services capital project aimed at preserving the ship for long-term operation and public education.
The Niagara, a reconstruction of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s relief flagship from the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812, serves as a sailing school vessel and maritime history attraction…