Black Rock, once an independent municipality, is now a neighborhood of the northwest section of the city of

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. In the 1820s, Black Rock was the rival of Buffalo for the terminus of the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

, but Buffalo, with its larger harbor capacity and greater distance from the shores of Canada, a recent antagonist during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, won the competition. Black Rock took its name from a large outcropping of black

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

along the

Niagara River The Niagara River ( ) flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, forming part of the border between Ontario, Canada, to the west, and New York, United States, to the east. The origin of the river's name is debated. Iroquoian scholar Bruce T ...

, which was blasted away in the early 1820s to make way for the canal.

History

The earliest known European settlement in Black Rock dates back to around 1795, when the Black Rock Ferry, which crossed the treacherous Niagara River to Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, began operation. Ferry service from Black Rock to Fort Erie continued under various proprietors until May 1951. In spite of losing the Erie Canal terminus to Buffalo and twice being burned to the ground by the British during the

, Black Rock continued to prosper. In 1814, a small group of American riflemen defended Black Rock and neighboring Buffalo from a British assault and, in 1839, it was incorporated as a town. In 1853, the City of Buffalo annexed the town of Black Rock. Because of its ferry and strategic position across the

from Canada, Black Rock was an important crossing place for African-Americans escaping slavery via the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

. This heritage was celebrated for about ten years with an annual Underground Railroad Re-Enactment at Freedom Park (Buffalo, New York) on

Unity Island Unity Island is an approximately island separating the Niagara River and the Black Rock Canal, located within the city limits of Buffalo, New York. The historic island is home to two public parks and a water treatment facility. It is connected to ...

at Niagara and West Ferry Streets, the site of the former ferry dock. The area's first industry was shipbuilding, later supplanted by foundries, manufacturing, and canal commerce. Today Black Rock boasts some pre-annexation houses and many excellent, sometimes vacant examples of early 20th century brick and masonry industrial architecture. Black Rock's history is amply documented in the library collections of the Buffalo History Museum. The Market Square Historic District was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2011.

Railroad link

In the 1870s, the

International Railway Bridge The International Railway Bridge is a two-span swing bridge carrying the Stamford Subdivision of the Canadian National Railway across the Niagara River between Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, and Buffalo, New York, United States. It was originally ...

connected the two nations at Black Rock, an engineering marvel at the time. The Black Rock Rail Yard handled both passenger service and commercial transport of goods into and out of Canada. Following the completion of the

St. Lawrence Seaway The St. Lawrence Seaway () is a system of rivers, locks, canals and channels in Eastern Canada and Northern United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North America, as far inland ...

, the construction of the United States's Interstate Highway system, Canada's Queen Elizabeth Highway, and the increase of commercial air travel, the Black Rock Rail Yard lost its passenger service and later most of its commercial freight service. The railroad bridge, however, remains in heavy usage and is one of the most important rail crossings between the United States and Canada.

Prominent residents

Black Rock's best-known resident was American poet

Robert Creeley Robert White Creeley (May 21, 1926 – March 30, 2005) was an American poet and author of more than 60 books. He is associated with the Black Mountain poets, although his verse aesthetic diverged from that school. Creeley was close with Charle ...

, who lived with his family in a converted firehouse at the corner of Amherst and East Streets from 1990 to 2003. Another prominent resident was

US Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the President of the United States, U.S. president's United States Cabinet, Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's Presidency of George Washington, administration. A similar position, called either "Sec ...

Peter Buell Porter. Former US Congressman John M. Holley lived in Black Rock.

References

External links

Black Rock is covered in the .
Black Rock Historical Society

Black Rock Village, 1795-1853: History & Genealogy
A guide, with links where available, from the Buffalo History Museum {{Buffalo Neighborhoods Former villages in New York (state) Neighborhoods in Buffalo, New York African-American history in Buffalo, New York Underground Railroad in New York (state)

History

Railroad link

Prominent residents

See also

References

External links