Fort Porter was constructed between 1841 and 1844 at
Buffalo in
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county along the shore of Lake Erie in western New York State. As of the 2020 census, the population was 954,236. The county seat is Buffalo, which makes up about 28% of the county's population. Both the county and Lake Erie w ...
, and named for General
Peter Buell Porter
Peter Buell Porter (August 14, 1773 – March 20, 1844) was an American lawyer, soldier and politician who served as United States Secretary of War from 1828 to 1829.
Early life
Porter was born on August 14, 1773, one of six children born to Dr. ...
. The site was bounded by Porter Avenue, Busti Avenue and the
Erie Barge Canal. It was initially a square masonry two-story
redoubt
A redoubt (historically redout) is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldi ...
, square, with crenelated walls surrounded by large earthworks and moat. The fort was considered the largest masonry "
blockhouse" ever built; it burned in November 1863. The "castle" had been built in 1836 as a home for Col. James McKay. This was part of the government acquisition of land in 1841 and was used as the commandant's quarters.
Fort Porter had not been used for some time when the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
started. It was used as the headquarters of the 74th Regiment,
New York Army National Guard. Ten 60 by 18 foot barracks were constructed and used as a recruiting center. In 1898, the post was reactivated for the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (cloc ...
and used as the headquarters for
13th U.S. Infantry. In 1917, it was reactivated again for
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and used as U.S. Army Base Hospital 23 until the unit shipped out. At the end of World War I, it was used as U.S. General Hospital 4 for returning wounded. In 1926, the property was sold to provide approaches to new
Peace Bridge
The Peace Bridge is an international bridge between Canada and the United States at the east end of Lake Erie at the source of the Niagara River, about upriver of Niagara Falls. It connects Buffalo, New York, in the United States to Fort Er ...
at
Front Park and all evidence was removed.
A boulder dedicated in 1899, as a token of the city's esteem for the regiment, was removed to a place outside the
Buffalo History Museum
The Buffalo History Museum (founded as the Buffalo Historical Society, and later named the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society) is located at 1 Museum Court (formerly 25 Nottingham Court) in Buffalo, New York, just east of Elmwood Avenue and ...
.
Fort Porter had an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
team that was active in 1917 and in 1920, playing teams in the informal
New York Pro Football League
The New York Pro Football League (NYPFL) was a professional American football league, active in the 1910s, and based in upstate New York, primarily Western New York. Between 1920 and 1921, the league's best teams were absorbed into the National Foo ...
.
References
External links
History of Buffalo, Fort Porter*
ttp://wnyheritagepress.org/photos_week_2004/fort_porter_castle.htm Western New York Heritage Press, Fort Porter "The Castle," c. 1900
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Fort
History of Buffalo, New York
Forts in New York (state)
New York Pro Football League teams