Dr. Watson Porter was a doctor for the Union Army during the American Civil War; his wife & him, both originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, settled in Alachua County, Florida.

In 1884, after the construction of the railroad - the workforce of which primarily consisted of African Americans - Dr. Porter bought land close to downtown Gainesville and sold property exclusively to black families.

This gave birth to the rich community that we now know as Porters Quarters.