ERIE, AERIAL VIEWS

Erie was founded in 1795 and was at one time called “Gem City”, some say for the sparkling bay. It is the home port of the Brig Niagara (reconstructed flagship of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry). Erie is the 4th largest city in Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania’s only lake port city. Presque Isle Bay on Lake Erie is surrounded by a 7-mile peninsula; an average of 1.5 million fish are caught each year in the lake, its bays and tributaries. Erie is home to the oldest land lighthouse on the Great Lakes. The Land Lighthouse at the foot of Lighthouse Street in the City of Erie was built in 1818 and replaced in 1867. Lake Erie also features the Presque Isle Lighthouse, built in 1872. The Presque Isle Lighthouse, located in Presque Isle State Park, is also a park employee residence.