Erie's Bayfront serves as one of its most historic districts, dotted with markers that designate key moments from its contributions to the Battle of Lake Erie and the people who left their mark on history. Take a walking or driving tour of these markers and monuments to dive into the moments that have shaped the region. 

Source: PHMC. Click here to read more and follow the map. 

(Estimated read time: three minutes)

Erie Land Lighthouse

2 Lighthouse Street, Erie
The first lighthouse to shine on the Great Lakes. Created to aid navigation and promote shipping, the original 20-ft. beacon (1818) and the subsequent brick tower (1858) were built upon unstable soil. The sandstone tower (1867) was the 3rd built here.

Flagship Niagara

150 Front Street, Erie
This restored vessel was used by Capt. Oliver Hazard Perry as his flagship in the Battle of Lake Erie, Sept. 10, 1813 after the Lawrence was disabled. From the Niagara’s deck Perry sent the message, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.”

Making of the Flag "Don't Give Up the Ship"

150 E Front Street, Erie
Steadfast in the face of war in the summer of 1813, seven brave Erie women stitched the flag that Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry carried into battle. British ships were on Lake Erie poised for attack. Although many fled south, Margaret Forster Steuart, her sister Dorcas, and five nieces remained to complete this rallying banner. The flag is preserved at the US Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, Md., and its words have become a Navy motto.

African Americans in Battle of Lake Erie

150 E Front Street, Erie
These skilled crewmen were among those who enabled Oliver Hazard Perry to defeat and capture a British squadron, Sept. 10,1813. Their participation–critical to victory–secured a place for African Americans in the region’s history.

Paul Allman Siple (1908 - 1968)

150 E Front Street, Erie
One of the world’s foremost authorities on Antarctica, he was honored internationally for his work as scientist, explorer, inventor, geographer, diplomat, and author. An Eagle Scout and NIAGARA Sea Scout from Erie, Siple was selected from all US Boy Scouts to accompany R.E. Byrd on his 1928-30 Antarctic Expedition. In 1957, he led the first team ever to winter at the South Pole. Siple designed all-climate army gear and devised the “Wind Chill Index.”

9/11 Memorial

150 E Front Street, Erie
A permanent reminder of the devastating attacks on September 11, 2001, Erie's 9/11 Memorial consists of a timeline of events, a memorial flag to the fallen, and the center piece of a steel column recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center after its collapse. It is located in front of the Blasco Memorial Library, where more artifacts are on display inside. 

Brig. General Strong Vincent Statue

150 E Front Street, Erie
Located in front of the Blasco Memorial Library off of Holland Street, this statue commemorates Brigadier General Strong Vincent, marked with the inscription, "The Hero of Gettysburg."

Canal Basin

34 State Street
End of Erie Extension of the Pennsylvania Canal system. Work begun here July 4, 1838. Canal formally opened Dec. 5, 1844, by arrival of “R.S. Reed” with Mercer County coal, and “Queen of the West” with passengers.

Captain Daniel Dobbins

Dobbins Landing
Erie merchant mariner, naval officer, born in Mifflin County. Captured by the British during the War of 1812, Dobbins escaped, went to Washington to report the fall of Forts Mackinac and Detroit. Appointed a sailing master in the US Navy, he returned to Erie to supervise the construction of a squadron of warships later commanded by O.H. Perry in the Battle of Lake Erie. Dobbins served in the US Navy and Revenue Cutter Service for thirty years.

U.S.S. Wolverine

116 W Front Street
U.S.S. MICHIGAN, the U.S. Navy’s first iron-hulled vessel, was assembled and launched near this site on December 5, 1843. Iron components were fabricated in Pittsburgh, PA and shipped overland to Erie. Renamed WOLVERINE in 1905, the 163 ft. steam-powered paddle frigate remained active as a Navy patrol and training vessel until 1912. She then served as part of the Pennsylvania Naval Militia until 1923. Known as the “Guardian of the Great Lakes.”