After the American war for independence, Hoboken was bought by Colonel John Stevens in 1784 for about $90,000. In the early 19th century, Stevens made the waterfront better for Manhattan people. He tested his inventions. Later in the century, Hoboken became better by being a shipping port and industrial center. Hoboken became a city in 1855, and Cornelius V. Clickener became the first Mayor. By the 19th century, shipping lines were using Hoboken as a port, and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (later the Erie Lackawanna Railroad) had became a railroad center at the waterfront. 