Alasa Farms
Why it's listed
Alasa Farms is a working farm of about 710 acres on Shaker Road, north of Alton in the town of Sodus, Wayne County. Its oldest buildings are the Main House and the Deacon's House, two large communal dwellings built in 1833-34 by the Sodus Bay Society of Believers, a Shaker branch. Both are plain, restrained frame buildings, and the Main House retains original windows, a cherry-wood balustrade and Shaker-era room plates. Between 1844 and 1846 the farm was home to the Sodus Bay Phalanx, a Fourierist community that supported abolition and women's rights. In the 1920s and 1930s the property was developed as a model farm, with Jamesway horse and cow barns, a granary, an office with a truck scale, farmhands' housing and a large swimming pool that doubled as a fire pond. Fifteen buildings among the contributing resources survive largely intact, along with working orchards and fields.
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) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1833-34 - ca. 1930s |
|---|---|
| Styles | Early Republic: vernacular Shaker architecture; mid-19th, late 19th, and early 20th century vernacular farm buildings |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History, Agriculture, Religion |
| Acreage | 710 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Alasa Farms (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.