The Oneida Community

Several years ago Phil and I watched a documentary on the Oneida Community founded in upstate New York by John Noyes.  We decided to go to Oneida and visit the Mansion which sits on the grounds that were once occupied by the utopian community he started. The mansion now serves as both a museum and a private residence where you can rent rooms. There is a self-guided tour that you can take through the mansion and the grounds that are open to the public.  

The mansion is large. You can clearly see how sections were added as the community grew.  

Noyes’ teachings were radical for the mid-nineteenth century. Men and women in the community were treated equally. Ideas about marriage were challenged allowing men and women to choose when and with whom they would bear children. 

The community only lasted about 50 years but it was very successful financially, first as master trap makers for those trapping in and around the Great Lakes and then as utensil makers. 

The mansion was set up more like a dormitory with common areas for members to meet and interact. 

The library which in 1871 contained 3,581 bound books and more than 140 periodicals. 

The community hall on the second floor was designed for multiple uses but contained no overtly religious iconography.

The upper sitting room where members were encouraged to socialize.  You can see the individual dorm rooms above the sitting room where everyone’s comings and goings could be monitored.  Each room was for adults who slept alone for the most part. 

The community was formed in 1848 and lasted until 1881. At its height the community housed 240 adults and 60 children. An interesting experiment in communal living. Today it would be called a cult.