In 1813, Niagara and Lawrence were built quickly in Erie in a matter of months out of green wood. When referencing the quality of construction of Niagara and Lawrence, shipwright Noah Brown stated: "They are only required for one battle; if we win, that is all that...
It has been 10 months since PHMC has taken full control of US Brig Niagara. In that amount of time, I see the connection to the Erie area fading and my concerns are growing. The initial disconnection of Niagara to our community was the firing of FNL as an operator of...
In 2010, the Pennsylvania Auditor General expressed deep concerns over PHMC’s handling of artifacts. The report’s opening letter to Gov Ed Rendell states, “Our auditors found an environment of lax oversight and accountability that is conducive to theft and...
Protect Brig Niagara was organized with the goal to ensure that the US Brig Niagara is in the hands of people who can maintain her and operate her safely, successfully, and transparently as an actively sailing vessel in her role as an ambassador for the...
Most of our advocacy has been over Niagara's current care. However, now that PHMC has announced a Captain and are actively doing work on her, we do not want to actively undermine the new Captain’s efforts. We will still be watching, but we want to give the new Captain...
My name is Hank Wiest. I wanted to write about my thoughts and experiences with Niagara, though I've never considered myself good at putting thoughts to paper, so I ask that you bear with me. This may ramble a bit. A little about me: I was raised in Erie...
A Fact Check on Site Administrator Jim Hall's comments as recorded in “Ryan Cook’s Meeting Notes” (a document first shared in “Shipwrecked by Command!”) In August 2021, Erie Maritime Museum Site Administrator Jim Hall sat down with Niagara Volunteer Council (NVC)...
When the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) took control of Niagara on January 1, 2024, they announced plans to hire Niagara's Captain within 90 days. (See here for our 90 day update). Once they had a Captain, they planned on working together to hire...
The blog post “Shipwrecked by Command! How PHMC Cast Away its Volunteers” includes several documents from our Right to Know Requests. We felt those documents deserved additional context, but including it in the piece focused on volunteers did not feel like the right...
With Memorial Day fresh on everyone's minds, we should all be remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the US Armed Forces and, given Niagara's role in the War of 1812, it is only fitting for us to take a dive into how Niagara can honor those members of...