Brig Niagara Program

Grove City College history majors have the opportunity to join a select group of colleges participating in the annual Summer Sail Internship Program on board the U.S. Brig Niagara.

The Niagara is a replica of the 1813 square-rigged sailing warship commanded by Oliver Hazard Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. It is the official state ship of Pennsylvania and one of a small handful of sailing schools in the country.

This experiential learning internship sails every summer from Erie around the Great Lakes, making stops on both American and Canadian shores over two to three weeks. After a few onshore classroom discussions led by a history professor, students spend the majority of their time living and working as a crew under 19th century conditions, learning firsthand from their captain the trials and joys of seamanship and its effects on our nation’s history.

During the sail, students tour several local museums allowing them time to thoughtfully explore the ways in which presentations of national history have changed throughout the decades. Students also tour Canadian museums where they see firsthand how our opponents viewed, and still perceive, Americans today. When docked, the Niagara is usually open for tours, and the crew takes turns serving as guides, earning valuable practical experience in working with the public.

Grove City College has integrated this close relationship with the Flagship Niagara Program into our curriculum allowing students to not only enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity but also to receive college credit.

“I experienced how a 19th century sailor lived, ate, and slept aboard his ship first hand, and there were no roped off sections on my voyage. I was expected to act as a full member of the crew and perform the same duties as my fellow professional sailors. It was as though over the course of my internship aboard the U.S. Brig Niagara I became less focused on myself and began to understand that my experience wasn’t about me, it was about the ship — that’s what stuck with me. This experience was one-of-a-kind, and anyone who loves history, enjoys a challenge, desires a change of pace, seeks adventure, or wants to see the world differently should pursue this internship”

– Tristan Schollenberger, 2016