Conkey House - Lockport, NY - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Conkey House is historically significant for its association with the commercial and industrial impact of the Erie Canal on upstate New York and the settlement of Lockport, NY. The house is representative of the modest scale and use of readily available native stone that typified much of Lockport's domestic architecture during the third and fourth decades of the 1800s. The construction was made possible by the discarded rock provided by the Erie Canal enlargement project begun in the late 1830s. It is also historically significant for its association with one of Lockport's earliest settlers.

James Conkey was one of the earliest settlers to clear land in the location of the present city of Lockport. Conkey arrived from Orwell, VT in 1815 and purchased 50 acres from the Holland Land Company and 59 acres from Alexander Pound. In the area of the present house, Conkey began clearing land and constructed a log cabin.

In 1840, Conkey built a road from his house down to the canal. He began hauling the discarded stone from the canal widening project to this property for a new stone house. The house was finished in 1842 and he lived in it until his death in 1857. After Conkey's death, the house remained in the family, occupied by his two children. His son Holmes lived in the house until his death in 1937. The house was finally sold outside the family in the 1960s. Today it remains as a private residence.

The design of the house is an interpretation of the Federal style of architecture. It is relatively simple in decoration, relying on the Federal molded cornice to accentuate its form. The modest scale and simple form are typical of the period. The front of the house uses more highly finished and expensive stone, while the sides used a lesser quality stone.

Street address: 202 Akron St Lockport, NY United States 14094 County / Borough / Parish: Niagara Year listed: 2003 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1825-1849 Historic function: Domestic: Single Dwelling Current function: Domestic: Single Dwelling Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 1: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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