The endless horizon: Why generations of landlocked Appalachians keep coming back to Erie

ERIE, Pennsylvania — Long before the furthest left corner of the Commonwealth began welcoming millions of sunbathers, Presque Isle State Park served as a critical shield for a young nation. During the War of 1812, the peninsula’s natural, 5.8-square-mile harbor provided the perfect sanctuary. Master mariner Daniel Dobbins recognized that a shallow sandbar across the…