(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Erie Maritime Museum & U.S. Brig Niagara, Posted on Facebook on June 6th, 2026)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Erie, PA) The U.S. Brig Niagara is underway following the completion of a year-long, $6.9 million restoration project, according to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. 

The Commonwealth’s flagship departed Bristol Marine’s Sample’s Shipyard in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, on June 6th after undergoing extensive repairs and upgrades designed to improve the vessel’s structural integrity and long-term seaworthiness. 

The Niagara is now making a roughly 2,000-nautical-mile journey through the North Atlantic Ocean and the St. Lawrence Seaway. 

The vessel is scheduled to return to its homeport at the Erie Maritime Museum in Erie for a homecoming celebration July 2nd-5th, coinciding with the city’s Independence Day weekend festivities.