author
Peter A. (Peter Augustus) Porter
1853–1925
A Niagara Falls historian and public figure, he wrote lively guides and local histories that helped readers see the region as both a natural wonder and a place shaped by politics, industry, and memory. His work blends civic pride with a close interest in the stories behind the landscape.
2 Audiobooks
A Legend of Goat Island
by Peter A. (Peter Augustus) Porter
Niagara: An Aboriginal Center of Trade
by Peter A. (Peter Augustus) Porter
About the author
Born in Niagara Falls, New York, on October 10, 1853, he came from a prominent family with deep roots in the region. He was educated at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, and graduated from Yale in 1874. Alongside his work in banking and public life, he developed a strong interest in the history of western New York and the Niagara frontier.
He is best remembered by readers today for books such as The Niagara Region in History and guidebooks on Niagara Falls and its surroundings. Those works drew on his local knowledge and aimed to make the area's scenery, historic sites, and civic development accessible to visitors and residents alike.
Porter also served as president of the village of Niagara Falls, as a member of the New York State Assembly, and later as a U.S. representative from New York. He died on December 15, 1925, in Buffalo, New York, leaving behind a body of writing closely tied to the place he knew best.