(WJET/WFXP)– After being missing from Erie’s waters for almost a year, state officials announced that the U.S. Brig Niagara has begun her 2,000-mile journey back home.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) said Monday that the Niagara cast off in Boothbay Harbor in Maine for Erie at sunrise on Saturday, June 6 and is expected to be back in town between July 2 and 5 for Independence Day celebrations.

The ship has a 2,000-mile journey with Interim Captain Richard Bailey at the helm down the St. Lawrence Seaway following what the PHMC said were $6.9 million restoration efforts and refit to make sure she’s structurally sound and fit to sail for decades to come.

“The departure from Maine represents a monumental milestone in the preservation of the Commonwealth’s flagship,” said Andrea Lowery, Executive Director of PHMC. “We thank the shipwrights and craftspeople at Bristol Marine for their work, and we are thrilled to have a mariner of Captain Bailey’s caliber guiding her home.”

To get the most out of her time at shipyard, PHMC officials said the Niagara is coming home under motor power, with the multi-week process of assembling her sails and traditional rigging taking place dockside in Erie once the America 250 celebrations have wrapped up. Adding that community members will get to see that process firsthand.

According to the Erie Maritime Museum, the Niagara first departed Erie on May 14, 2025, and has not sailed in Erie’s waters since losing its propeller in 2023, which cut her season short.

You can track the Niagara’s journey on the Erie Maritime Museum website and their social media.

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