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Enlarged Erie Canal Lock No. 56 (also called the Poorhouse lock) is located less than 2 miles west of the Village of Lyons, Wayne County, N.Y, and less than half a mile west of the present Lock No. 28-A and the Canal Corporation's dry dock complex. It is a double-chamber lock, with the north chamber double-length, and had a lift of 10.12 feet to the west. Construction of Lock No. 56 was begun in 1842 and completed in 1849. The north chamber was added in 1873 and lengthened between the 1887 and 1888 seasons.

When the lock was in use, the red brick building adjacent to the lock and visible in the pictures below served as a grocery for the canallers, and had an attached shed, probably for mules. When lock No. 56 was abandoned around 1911, the building was converted to a private residence.

Below are photographs of old Lock No. 56 taken in early October 2006 and late March 2007 -- click on an image below to see the full-size version.

Google Earth view of Enlarged Erie Canal Lock No. 56 (upper left), and current Lock 28-A and the Canal Corporation's dry dock complex lower right), Lyons, N.Y.	Enlarged Erie Canal Lock No. 56 -- eastern end, looking west.

The north chamber, eastern end, looking west.	The north chamber, eastern end, looking east. Note the metal brackets, which held the gate pivots.	The eastern end. The lengthened north chamber is in the foreground; the single-length south chamber is behind it.
The north chamber, looking east. The weeds in the center are growing in the north wall recess for one of the gates when in the open position.	The north chamber. Note the recess in the south wall for one of the gates when in the open position. This is just opposite to the recess noted in the center of the picture to the left.	The north chamber, western end.
The eastern end, looking northwest.	The south chamber, eastern end.	The south chamber, looking west.
The south chamber, looking east.	The south chamber, looking east; the rougher stone at the end of the chamber on the left is the outside wall of the north chamber.	The south chamber, full view, looking east.