Presque Isle State Park on Lake Erie Erie, Pennsylvania has a day‐use park that is the state's only "seashore." It is Presque Isle State Park, a 3,112‐acre peninsula that juts out into Lake Erie. The peninsula is attached to the mainland four miles west of downtown Erie and forms a bay becoming a wide and deep harbor for the city. Presque Bay can support small/large boats and freighters. The city of Erie is in Erie County. The name Erie comes from the Eriez Indians or Erielhonans. They settled the lake shore in the mid‐1600s to be later vanquished by the Iroquois Confederacy. During the 1700s, the French built Fort Presque Isle (Presque is a French word which means 'peninsula'). Later, as wars and other political changes took place, the British and Americans also built forts on the Erie shores. Presque Bay was the catalyst for growth in Erie County and the town. The inland farmlands and the port became hubs of commerce and shipbuilding. The Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812 honored Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and his ship, the U.S. Brig Niagara, is Erie's tourist site today. His fight gave America maritime rule on Lake Erie.

Erie County's Courthouse was built in 1808. Today, nearly 300,000 people live and work in the county, with nearly 100,000 in the City of Erie. Presque Isle is a National Natural Landmark with an educational environmental center. Hiking, picnicking, scuba diving, surfing, swimming and wildlife watch are some of the activities you can do on your visit. The geologic history of Presque Isle began with the wave action of Lake Erie over the past 11,000 years. During the early 1800s the coastal areas were measured by the federal government to study the shores migration patterns. The peninsula's geomorphic features were migrating eastward into deeper water, according to Pope and Gorecki's U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report. It was at that time that the federal government created the Presque Isle State Park. In 1922, the peninsula was conveyed from the federal government to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with the charge of preserving Erie Harbor and the sandy beaches for recreational purposes. The geologic history of the peninsula can be read in the 216‐page report entitled "A6‐Geologic‐And‐Engineering‐History‐Of‐Presque‐Isle‐Peninsula‐PA."

Preserving the park's beaches requires care, planning and management.

Sources: https://eriecountypa.gov/about/about‐erie‐county/history‐of‐erie‐county/ , https://www.nysga‐online.net/wp‐content/uploads/2019/06/NYSGA‐ 1982‐A6‐Geologic‐And‐Engineering‐History‐Of‐Presque‐Isle‐Peninsula‐PA.pdf, https://www.visiterie.com/explore/history‐and‐heritage/, https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/PresqueIsleStatePark/Pages/default.aspx , https://history.goerie.com/presque‐isle/ , and https://www.goerie.com/presque‐isle, https://cityof.erie.pa.us/. acuri.net John R. Vincenti Presque Isle State Park on Lake Erie