Niagara was never just wood, canvas, and iron. She was made alive by the shipmates who served her: crew, volunteers, trainees, staff, donors, families, and a community that refused to let Pennsylvania’s flagship become a silent exhibit.
This is a personal account of what that community built, what was lost when the ship was separated from it, and why we should not give up the ship
A companion piece to “What Comes Next for Niagara,” this public action guide explains how supporters can contact officials, request a public forum, and help shape Brig Niagara’s future.
Niagara is back in Erie, but new Coast Guard data raises serious questions about what it will take for her to legally sail again. If Pennsylvania’s flagship is to remain a living vessel, the public deserves clear answers from PHMC.
A timeline of the last transit Niagara took through the St. Lawrence Seaway to find potential watch points for the return transit.
A former Niagara sailor discusses how Niagara saved their life while questioning if PHMC is qualified to care for her long term.
Niagara continues to undergo shipyard repairs at Boothbay. Let’s look at how repairs are progressing given the initial scope of work.
One year ago, the PA Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) announced that Niagara would not be attending Tall Ships Erie. To compound that disappointment, a May 16 Erie Times-News article reported that PHMC has shifted from promising Niagara’s return for the PA...
PHMC was caught illegally hiring Canadians to sail as Niagara crew on a recent trip to shipyard raising concerns over PHMC’s actions.
It’s well into February and PHMC has only managed to install 1/4 of Niagara’s winter cover after dragging their heels to prepare. The community has noticed…
The second installment of this trilogy dives deeper into the missteps and ongoing inefficiencies of the PHMC, following their 2010 reprimand by the Auditor General. Spoiler alert: progress is hard to find.
Concerns grow over the future of PHMC’s stewardship of Niagara as they outsource her crew to a Canadian company.
A concerned volunteer voices concerns to PHMC commissioners and state representatives over reducing Niagara’s ties to the Erie community.
In 2010, the Pennsylvania Auditor General expressed deep concerns over PHMC’s handling of artifacts. If PHMC is lax in their own professional sphere, why should we trust them in maritime affairs? With the operations and maintenance of the U.S. Brig Niagara?
PHMC’s delays over Niagara’s care now have very real consequences as PHMC announces that Niagara will not attend Tall Ships Erie 2025.
PHMC says that we should trust them. Let’s take a look at PHMC’s broken promises to see if they can be trusted.
Former Niagara deckhand Hank describes how sailing on Niagara transformed his life and was a catalyst for a career change.
An in depth look into a concerning meeting that was held between EMM Site Administrator Jim Hall and a volunteer.
PHMC has yet to publicly post the position for Niagara’s Captain, but they claim the search is ongoing. How could this be and how open is it?
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...
The US Navy will host it’s 250th Anniversary in Philadelphia in 2025. Niagara was originally going to be one of the centerpieces of the celebration. However, PHMC is no longer planning on taking her. What happened and can she still attend?