Slack Farmstead
Why it's listed
This 38-acre farm on Row Road, just south of Route 104 in Mexico, Oswego County, combines a farmhouse, a granary, a dairy barn and a hen house with fields, maple woods, a stone wall, a hand-dug well and a farm pond dating from 1925. The farmhouse was probably built around 1838-39 by Joseph Slack, whose family farmed the land from about 1814 to 1850. It is a one-and-one-half-story, five-bay house only one room deep, a horizontal form unlike the two-story, three-bay houses typical of 1830s Mexico. The outbuildings date from about 1850, 1870 and 1910. The Row family held the farm from about 1900 to 1984. Glen Row added plumbing and central heating, built the pond and raised thousands of White Leghorn chickens for egg sales. Because the buildings, features and a large share of the original acreage survive, the property illustrates how agriculture in Mexico changed over more than a century. It is significant in the areas of agriculture and architecture.
Significance in brief: The farmstead is argued to be an intact, representative nineteenth-century farm in the town of Mexico. Its horizontal one-and-one-half-story, five-bay farmhouse is a rare form in the region, and its outbuildings show how the farm's use changed over time. About 38 acres of original farmland survive, recalling the town's agricultural history from early settlement to the early twentieth century.
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 91001627, listed November 14, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 5174 Row Rd., Mexico |
|---|---|
| County | Oswego County |
| Listed | November 14, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91001627 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1838-1926 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown; the farmhouse is believed to have been built by Joseph Slack |
| Architectural style | Early Republic (Greek Revival frieze detailing noted) |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The farm continues in its original function, with a single dwelling and agricultural outbuildings in use; the granary now serves as a winery and the barn basement houses horses. |
| Acreage | 38.4 |
| Coordinates | 43.45159, -76.18551 (NPS GIS) |
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.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 91001627.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7538393
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.