About Us

Our Mission

  • To encourage and facilitate the preservation, restoration, and public interpretation of America’s historic communal sites.
  • To provide a forum for the study of intentional communities, past and present.
  • To communicate to the general public the successful ideas from, and lessons learned by, communal societies.

Founded in 1975 as the National Historic Communal Societies Association, the CSA has expanded its focus in recent years to include the study of contemporary and international communal societies.

To accomplish this mission the CSA sponsors an annual conference, publishes a journal, newsletter, and membership directory, maintains this web site, and encourages a greater understanding of historic communal sites and existing communities through tours, brochures, and other projects.