Local links to our maritime heritage

The Erie Maritime Museum, home of the US Brig Niagara, is a place where naval history buffs can lose themselves for an entire afternoon—or longer. Museum exhibits interpret the history of naval warfare and commerce on the Great Lakes from the time of the earliest settlements in our area. Niagara herself is a replica of the ship from which Oliver Hazzard Perry directed the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812, one of the few times British ships were defeated during the period of warfare with the United Sates and France. See Capt. Walter Rybka’s thoughts about Billy Budd at {link to the article].

The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Oakland is home to a military museum and memorial with a fascinating collection of artifacts and displays dedicated to remembering our veterans. Since these items have all been acquired from local donors, the collection has a distinct Western Pennsylvania flavor. Most of the collection covers the Civil War period to the present day. Of interest to Billy Budd fans would be the exhibit about children in wartime, where you can learn about powder monkeys, the little boys who ran errands on warships and carried powder and munitions during battles. In a nearby display case you can also see canon balls, shells, and grape, and chain shot. “A whiff of grape” didn’t mean sniffing your wine—it meant sending your enemy a murderous volley of smaller shot meant to cut rigging and sails (and people) into pieces. The current issue of the The Sentinel features an article about Billy Budd by the Opera Lady.