Hagen History Center

05/31/2026

TODAY IS YOUR LAST CHANCE ⏳ to experience our Erie Extension Canal exhibit in the Wood-Morrison House on our West 6th Street campus!
History runs through our campus—the Erie Extension Canal once did, too. Don’t miss your opportunity to explore this important piece of Erie’s past before the exhibit moves during the week of June 1. 🚨
🕰 Visit us today: 📅Sunday: Noon–5 PM
📍 Don’t miss it!
🚧Our Extension Canal exhibit will move to make way for our upcoming Command & Courage: Oliver Hazard Perry exhibit—but don’t worry, it will return in a new location on campus soon!

05/31/2026

On this day in history: In 1911, Crawford County native Ray Harroun wins in the inaugural Indianapolis 500! Born in Spartansburg, Harroun considered himself more of a mechanic and inventor than a racer, and made important advances in automotive design.

To learn more about Harroun, check out the display at the Titusville Iron Works and the Fall 2023 issue of "Western Pennsylvania History" magazine, available at the Heritage Center.

Photo credit: Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

05/30/2026

Only half our seats are left. Please hurry to sign up.

Join us and Douglas Brinkley, Olenda Johnson, Christopher Havern, Matthew C. Perry, Craig Symonds, and Walter Rybka as we proudly present Command & Courage: Oliver Hazard Perry, a two‑day symposium celebrating the Hero of Lake Erie with nationally recognized speakers and fresh perspectives on Perry.
📅 August 13–14
📍 Gannon University | Erie, PA
This immersive symposium explores Perry’s leadership, legacy, and lasting impact on American naval history—and why history happened here.
⚠️ Space is limited and registration fills quickly:
• Members: $10
• Nonmembers: $20
https://tickets.eriereader.com/events/command-courage-oliver-hazard-perry-august-13-14-8-13-2026
👉 Register early and be part of this once‑in‑a‑generation America250PA experience.
The symposium coincides with the opening of our Perry exhibit on August 14.

05/30/2026

LAST CHANCE ⏳ to experience our Erie Extension Canal exhibit in the Wood-Morrison House on our West 6th Street campus!
History runs through our campus—the Erie Extension Canal once did, too. Don’t miss your opportunity to explore this important piece of Erie’s past before the exhibit moves during the week of June 1. 🚨
🕰 Visit us:
📅 Tuesday–Saturday: 10 AM–5 PM
📅Sunday: Noon–5 PM
📍 Don’t miss it!
🚧Our Extension Canal exhibit will move to make way for our upcoming Command & Courage: Oliver Hazard Perry exhibit—but don’t worry, it will return in a new location on campus soon!

05/29/2026

Be part of the Parade of Sail as we welcome Niagara back to her home port on July 2.
Participating vessels will begin at the channel of Presque Isle Bay, proceed to Liberty Park, and conclude at the Erie Maritime Museum.

Your $45 registration includes parade entry plus a 3' x 5' “Don’t Give Up the Ship” flag (Made in the USA) to proudly fly aboard your boat.

The event takes place from noon until 2 p.m. on July 2

Half the slots are already gone! Hurry to register. https://tickets.eriereader.com/events/join-us-for-the-parade-of-sail-to-welcome-the-niagara-back-7-2-2026

05/29/2026

From the archives📜: This program from the 1994 Greater Erie Charity Golf Classic ⛳is signed by longtime chairman of the tournament Cal Neithamer and ✍️ by Arnold Palmer. The GECGC was a Pro-Am event that began in 1970 created by Ted Grassi. 🏌️‍♂️
Over the years it was held at Downing Golf Course, Lake Shore Country Club, Lake View Country Club, and the Kahkwa Club. Past winners include 🏆 Lee Trevino and John Daly.
Arnold Palmer, a native of Latrobe, PA, was brought to the 1994 event at the Kahkwa Club by Ted Junker in what attracted the largest one-day crowd in the tournament's 30-year history.

05/28/2026

05/28/2026

When did you last step into a solarium? ☀️🌸🌷🍃🪴
Visit us at the Watson-Curtze Mansion — and tour one of the mansion’s most beautiful and unique spaces. With its graceful curved walls and wraparound glass windows, the solarium was designed to bring the outdoors inside.

Carrie T. Watson, a passionate gardener and horticulturist, filled the solarium with lush plants and flowers, creating a year-round retreat of greenery and light. Her love of gardening left a lasting mark on the estate, and many of the trees and plantings she chose more than a century ago can still be seen on the grounds.

Today, the Carrie T. Watson Garden Club is honored as a


If you love historic homes, gardening, or simply beautiful spaces, the solarium is a must-see during your visit to the mansion. 🌿

05/26/2026

Niagara returns soon, and it's making history at NPR

After months in dry dock in Maine, the USS Niagara slipped down the ways last week after nearly a year of work. The two-masted, 20-gun brig will soon return to its home port on Lake Erie.