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History of Erie Pennsylvania

Learn more about the history of Erie Pa.

Erie is a city in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Erie is named after the adjoining lake of Erie and native Erie Indians, which were believed to be the first occupants of the land. In the 1700s, the French established a fort to defend against the advancing British. After seven years of War, the French were defeated and the British took over possession of the fort. During the time of the war, the residents of Connecticut were burned out of their houses by the raiding British. To compensate them for their losses, the Connecticut Assembly offered them 500,000 acres of land for resettlement. This area came to be known as the Fireland, and in 1809 the Huron Country.

Erie played a vital role in the 1812 War as a vital Naval Base. The construction of the US Naval Fleet was carried out here by the famous boat builders Daniel Dobbins of Erie & Noah Brown from New York. The fleet made of four gunboats and with two brigs, was commanded by Commodore Oliver Perry, who won over the British Fleet in the historic Battle of Erie. This event also marks the only time in history, when the British Fleet was defeated.

In 1838, the Huron County was divided into the Erie County and the Huron Counties. In history, four states have claimed ownership over Erie, namely New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Erie officially became part of Pennsylvania in 1792, after all four states renounced their claims over it, and the federal government sold it to Pennsylvania.