Places to Honor Oliver Hazard Perry in Erie, PA

lthough his time there was brief, Oliver Hazard Perry remains venerated in Erie — and plenty of places there are associated with or honor him.

Perry, a Rhode Island native, was already a seasoned Navy veteran when he arrived in Erie in 1813. The city had been founded in 1795, and in many ways, was still the wilderness, says Steven Mooradian, processing archivist for the Hagen History Center in Erie.

England had taken control of the Great Lakes in the War of 1812, and Perry was sent to Erie to supervise construction of boats to do battle with the British. Erie’s abundant timber made it an ideal place to build the fleet that Perry commanded in the Battle of Lake Erie, including his brig Niagara. The decisive American victory, a turning point for the war on the Great Lakes, prompted Perry to write Gen. William Henry Harrison, saying, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.”

“Because the ships were built here, we claim him as one of our own,” says Mooradian, who noted that the shipbuilding encouraged more permanent settlement in Erie.

The Hagen Center will have a Perry-themed exhibit for 2026, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence. The museum recently bought a collection from Perry descendants, which includes his marriage certificate, his will and a lock of his hair. In addition, the museum’s holdings include his sword, scabbard and telescope.

“The problem with Perry on a large scale is that he only lived to be 34,” Mooradian says. “He didn’t have a long life, so there isn’t a lot of stuff floating around of his.”

Perry’s flagship, the Niagara, was scuttled in Erie in 1820, but was raised in 1913 and restored, and has made regular visits throughout the Great Lakes. It went to Maine in 2025 for a yearlong restoration and is expected to return to Erie for the summer of 2026.

Presque Isle State Park also has a monument to Perry on Crystal Point, and historical markers abound throughout the park telling his story and that of the War of 1812. Misery Bay, where Perry and his fleet docked the winter of 1813-14, and where the Niagara was scuttled, remains a popular spot for anglers as well.

In 1985 — the bicentennial anniversary of Perry’s birth — a statue of him was put up in Perry Square in downtown Erie. It’s a replica of a statue that was erected 100 years earlier in Perry’s home state of Rhode Island.

Also in Erie is Oliver’s Rooftop, atop the city’s Hampton Inn. Named for Perry, it includes a mini-golf course, beer garden and restaurant.