Aiken, Abraham, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1807 by Quaker settler Abraham Aiken, this two-and-one-half-story brick house stands on the west side of Route 22 south of Willsboro, looking east across Lake Champlain toward Vermont. Its walls are laid in American bond using brick made from local blue clay along the Boquet River, set on a cut Chazy limestone foundation. The symmetrical five-bay front has an elliptical fanlight entrance and a Palladian window above it. Inside, a Georgian plan of four rooms around a central hall survives, with Federal mantels, wainscoting and original woodwork. The attic served as a Masonic Lodge meeting room from 1807 to 1826. Later changes include Greek Revival trim around 1840, an Italianate cornice in the 1870s, and alterations from the 1920s when the house operated as a guest house. A rear brick ell, horse barn, tenants' cottage and five stone-lined wells complete the four-acre farmstead, which is valued as an intact Federal style homestead.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a distinguished early example of Federal style brick residential design in Essex County, with high-style details unusual for the Champlain-Adirondack region. It retains extensive exterior and interior integrity, with minor Greek Revival and late nineteenth-century changes. It also housed one of the region's earliest Masonic Lodges (1807-1826).
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 89000465, listed June 8, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NY 22/Lakeshore Rd., Willsboro |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | June 8, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000465 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1807-1880 |
| Architect / builder | Abraham Aiken (Builder) |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as a single-family residence; historic uses included a guest house in the 1920s-30s and a Masonic meeting hall in the attic. |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Coordinates | 44.34344, -73.36245 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 89000465.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4668737
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.