Lavinia E. Porter Manse

Lavinia E. Porter was born on September 7, 1810 to Jane and Augustus Porter. The Porters were among the first white settlers of Niagara Falls, New York. Lavinia is recognized as a pioneer of the area, then a fledgling village known as Manchester. 

What we know of Lavinia’s life is, in part, a story of houses. In 1808, her father built the very first house in Niagara Falls. It was a large mansion on Buffalo Avenue beside the Niagara River. Two years later, Lavinia was born in the house. The Porter mansion was “the center of community life in the emerging village.” 

During the War of 1812, Jane Porter took Lavinia and her brothers by sleigh about 100 miles away to Canandaigua where they could all be safe. They returned in 1815, but their home and the frontier village had been destroyed in the war.

In 1818, Augustus built a new mansion for his family on the ruins of the old one. General Lafayette and Seneca chief Red Jacket were frequent visitors. Lavinia helped her mother entertain guests and learned how to knit, sew, and make household goods like soap and candles.

When Jane died in 1841, Lavinia became “Lady of the Mansion.” Although she was not in good health herself, Lavinia took care of the household and her aging father and unmarried brother Peter. She was known for her grace, charm, and hospitality. Augustus built three more houses in the area for Lavinia and two of his sons. After his death in 1849, Lavinia and Peter continued to live in the Porter mansion. It was razed in 1933.

What happened to the house that Augustus built for Lavinia in 1847? We know that Lavinia was “deeply religious and involved in charity work, especially with the nearby First Presbyterian Church, which her father had helped build.” She was unmarried. Unsurprisingly then, she donated the house to the church in 1855 and willed it to the parish upon her death. 

In 1852, Lavinia also donated 18.5 acres of land for the establishment of Oakwood Cemetery. She died in 1863.

For over 100 years, the First Presbyterian Church used the house as a manse. Weddings, meetings, tea parties, and open houses were also held beneath its 12-foot-high cathedral ceilings. 



The Lavinia E. Porter Manse is located at 162 Buffalo Avenue, just a quarter mile from the Falls. It is “a two-story stucco covered, square brick dwelling in the Italianate style” with “a low pitched gable roof with deep overhanging eaves and decorative brackets.” It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012 and is the only remaining house built by Augustus Porter. 

Hope L. Russell, Ph.D.