Alta Mesa Farm Bureau Hall
Also known as: Alta Mesa Hall; Alta Mesa Community Center Hall
Why it's listed
Alta Mesa Farm Bureau Hall is a modest wood-frame meeting hall near Wilton in southeastern Sacramento County. Local volunteers built it in 1913 on land donated by pioneer T. Winey, on a corner lot at Blake and Alta Mesa Roads. The original rectangular building gained a kitchen wing in 1930, giving it an L-shaped plan, and a covered porch in 1935. A small restroom building from 1930 also contributes. Apart from a few early farmhouses, the hall is the main surviving structure linked to the farming community of Alta Mesa, founded in 1903. The Farm Bureau bought it in 1917 and held monthly meetings there. It also housed church services, school plays and graduations, weddings, 4-H groups and wartime volunteer work. From 1922 to 1976 it hosted the Alta Mesa Fair, a one-day event with a community chicken dinner. The hall was unused when nominated, but it remains a tangible link to the area's rural past.
Significance in brief: Apart from a few early farmhouses, it is the principal surviving structure tied to the history of the rural community of Alta Mesa. It served as the center of social, school, civic and Farm Bureau activity and hosted the Alta Mesa Fair, one of the last rural one-day community fairs in California, from 1922 to 1976.
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 86003577, listed January 7, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 10195 Alta Mesa Rd., Wilton |
|---|---|
| County | Sacramento County |
| Listed | January 7, 1987 |
| Reference number | 86003577 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Unknown; built by local volunteer labor |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Exploration/Settlement, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Unoccupied and vacant at the time of nomination; several windows were temporarily boarded to protect against vandalism. The condition is described as fair and altered. |
| Acreage | 0.6 |
| Coordinates | 38.38705, -121.22339 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 86003577.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4735988
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.