Buffalo's first Common Council, elected on May 26, 1832, appointed Dr. Ebenezer Johnson mayor. Johnson had arrived in Buffalo in 1809 after studying medicine with Dr. Joseph White of Cherry Valley. Dr. Johnson practiced medicine in Buffalo until the War of 1812, during which he served as surgeon's mate. After the war, he engaged in the drug business and in banking, and became one of Buffalo's wealthiest citizens.

In 1832, Johnson built a grey sandstone mansion on his 25-acre Delaware Street property, at the corner of what is now Johnson Park. The mansion, called the "Johnson Cottage," was magnificent, with a rotunda and glass dome. The building burned in 1840, and was rebuilt much more simply. After Dr. Johnson's death in 1849, the house was sold and the grounds divided. The house served as the home of the Buffalo Seminary from 1851 until 1903, and was demolished in 1919.