Alasa Farms
Also known as: Sodus Bay Shaker Tract; Sodus Bay Phalanx
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.
Significance in brief: It holds two extremely rare surviving examples of Shaker architecture in America, built in 1833-34 by the Sodus Bay Shakers. The farm also housed the Sodus Bay Phalanx, a Fourierist utopian community, from 1844 to 1846. Its early twentieth century model-farm barns and outbuildings remain remarkably intact, supporting significance in religion, social history, agriculture and architecture.
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 09000835, listed October 16, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 6450 Shaker Rd., Alton |
|---|---|
| County | Wayne County |
| Listed | October 16, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000835 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1833-34 - ca. 1930s |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Early Republic: vernacular Shaker architecture; mid-19th, late 19th, and early 20th century vernacular farm buildings |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History, Agriculture, Religion |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still a working, farmed property; the board-and-batten barn houses a Shaker Museum open to the public on a limited basis. |
| Acreage | 710 |
| Coordinates | 43.23593, -76.97601 (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 09000835.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4708416
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.