Buffalo Creek was made a
Port of Entry in 1805 by President
Thomas Jefferson. On March 11, 1811, President
James Madison issued a proclamation removing the port of entry for the Buffalo district to
Black Rock (which was not a part of Buffalo at the time), in pursuance of an act of Congress dated March 2, 1811, which provided that "the office of the Collector of Customs for the District of
Buffaloe Creek shall be kept at such place or places in the town of Buffalo as President of the United States shall designate." In 1817, Forward, as Collector of the Port, was authorized by the
Treasury Department to purchase a site for a
light house. Forward negotiated with
Joseph Ellicott, agent of the
Holland Land Company, to purchase the property near the outlet of the Buffalo Creek for $350. ==List of collectors==