The flags on the fleet of ships built in Erie for the War of
1812 bore the slogan “Don’t give up the ship.” Two hundred years
later, the Perry 200 Commemoration, sponsored in part by the
Jefferson Educational Society, urges the Erie community, “Don’t
give up the spirit.” The city of Erie played an integral part in
the War of 1812. Then a city of 500 people, Erie constructed the
fleet that led Commodore Oliver H. Perry to victory in the
Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813. Perry’s likeness–and
name–are now featured prominently in downtown Erie. “[People
like Perry] are Erieites we are proud of,” said Corrine Egan, a
program associated at the Jefferson Educational Society. The
200th anniversary celebration of the War of 1812 and the Battle
of Lake Erie seeks to instill that pride in the greater
community, says Egan. Commemoration events kick off this spring
and will last through 2013. The first phase, which will take
place in May, brings the War of 1812 into classrooms across
Erie. The Jefferson Education