Letter from Augustus S. Porter to Walter Bryant, June 9, 1853
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Cameron, Chantal
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A letter from Augustus S. Porter of Niagara Falls, New York, to Walter Bryant, an attorney in Boston, Massachusetts. The letter concerns a parcel of riverfront land in Niagara and the rights of public use or benefit. Bryant represents an unspecified company that would like to secure the land for their own use.
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Augustus Seymour Porter (1798-1872) was the son of Augustus Porter and Lavinia Steele. He became a lawyer and practiced in Detroit, Michigan. In 1838 he was elected mayor of Detroit and the following year to the U.S. Senate. In 1848 he moved to his father’s residence in Niagara Falls, New York, and remained there until his death in 1872.
Augustus’ father, Augustus Porter (1769-1849) purchased land near the American Falls with his brother Peter Buell Porter (1773-1844). This gave them water rights to the eastern rapids above and below Niagara Falls. They built several mills but were forced out of business when the Erie canal opened in 1825. They also worked to develop and promote tourism around the Falls, and had a plan to develop a hydraulic raceway for power and transportation which was never built.
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