Carter, John, Farmstead
Why it's listed
Brick from a local brickyard went into both the farmhouse and the barn at this farmstead on Lake Road in the Town of Porter, just north of Youngstown, across from Fort Niagara State Park. John Carter, an English-born master mason, ran the brickyard from around 1850 into the 1880s. He built the barn in 1857 and the house in 1858, using uneven-colored "seconds" bricks in both. The farmhouse is L-shaped, with a two-story gable-front main block and a lower side wing. Its design mixes Greek Revival massing and window trim with Italianate roof overhangs, paneled double entry doors and a bracketed wooden porch. Inside, the entrance hall, parlor and front upstairs bedroom have decorative plaster cornices and ceiling rosettes that Carter made with beeswax forms. The barn is a large brick structure with a notched and pegged timber frame and Pennsylvania Barn characteristics. The property is significant as an intact record of a local builder's craft and brickmaking.
Significance in brief: The farmstead is presented as a well-preserved example of a mid-19th-century Western New York brick farmhouse and barn, built from bricks made at the owner's own brickyard. The house is a transitional Greek Revival/Italianate design in the Gable Front and Wing form, with an Italianate porch. It also contains ornate plasterwork made by Carter, and the buildings reflect his work as a local builder and brickmaker.
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 07000490, listed May 30, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 206 Lake Rd., Youngstown |
|---|---|
| County | Niagara County |
| Listed | May 30, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07000490 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | John Carter (owner, master mason and builder) |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century (Greek Revival/Italianate style); barn with Pennsylvania Barn characteristics |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Farmhouse currently in residential use; it has a 1977 garage addition and replacement vinyl windows. |
| Acreage | 5.3 |
| Coordinates | 43.26432, -79.04601 (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 07000490.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6225373
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.