Oneida Community

The Oneida Community was a nineteenth-century utopian community based in America. Founded by John Humphrey Noyes, the community was based on socialist and religious principles. Perfectionism was the determining characteristic of the way of life adopted by the members, both personally and socially. The idea of establishing the Kingdom of God on Earth was the foundation on which the commune developed. The terminology given to the way of living was bible communism. The geographical location of the community was Oneida, in New York State.

When the community disbanded, a joint-stock corporation was established. Oneida Community Limited, later known as Oneida Limited and Oneida Consumer, LLC, became renowned for tableware and silverware. While the community was socialist, it also favored capitalism, as was evident in the production of goods for gain. The Oneida Community Mansion House remained in existence and became a National Historic Landmark.

Brief History

The Oneida Community was initiated by John Humphrey Noyes (1811–86) in 1848. As the founder, Noyes was leader of a group of followers who pursued his religious outlook. The Oneida Community Mansion House was built by the community. Building began in 1861. The mansion house occupies ninety-three thousand square feet. The mansion reflects the core principles and ideals of personal and social perfection. This is seen in the architectural design, meticulously planned and executed in accordance with popular styles of the period. More than a mansion, the accommodation housed more than three hundred members of the community as a family unit living under one roof.

Noyes led the community for almost thirty-three years, from 1848 to 1880. Internal and external pressures resulted in the community disbanding. Although the community had functioned for many years with an idealized regard for Noyes, a level of disunity arose when radicalized structures—particularly applying to marriage and relationships—began to create a chaotic change. When Noyes's health deteriorated, he was also no longer able to hold his community intact. While the community as such was no longer in existence, a company was formed to manufacture high-class tableware. The date of the company's origin is placed at 1848, in line with the structuring of the community at the same time, but the joint-stock status arose in 1880. From 1850, when it produced its first line of foodstuffs, to the production of flatware and silver in the early 1900s, to its establishment as a limited company, the company and brand continued to expand as a modern corporation.

The Oneida Community Mansion House, classified as a National Historic Landmark, is overseen by a nonprofit organization appointed in 1987 by the New York State Board of Regents. The Mansion House operates as a museum and gift shop. Temporary and permanent exhibitions are hosted, as are displays by artists of the area. Moreover, there is the opportunity to stay overnight or hold meetings or banquets in the massive space. The large surrounding gardens and trees provide a prized setting for events, as well as being reminiscent of the community that lived within these grounds as a "Garden of Eden" in this world.

Overview

Utopian Community.The Oneida Community functioned as a utopian community based on perfectionism as an ideal, within a religious framework. The community was set up within the context of a utopian community, prevalent at the time. The members dedicated themselves to living as one family. They shared all their resources, applying this to aspects of property and work. Additionally, the principle was applicable to love. How this manifested was especially highlighted in the sharing of interrelations sexually.

Perfectionism. Perfectionism meant striving for, and believing in, the core principles of social and personal perfection. This had an impact on the way community members built their mansion as well as on behavior. Their mode of living and beliefs challenged social norms and contemporary living issues of the time. Community members were led to pay attention to the body by keeping in excellent health. Mentally and intellectually, they were motivated with a view of life-long learning to better themselves. Monogamous marriages were initially revered, though this altered, with the notion of gender roles coming into sharper focus. The Oneida Community had strict ideas regarding child-rearing. The community focused on the whole and on the sense of being a united family for all its members. The concept of abandoning one's self and thinking on a self-centered basis was crucial; rather, the people sought to do what was good for the community. The practice and achievement of this selflessness was based on and made possible by the community and communal living.

Religion. Noyes's religious outlook set the tone for the community. The precept was Christianity; however, the particular focus was the theological perspective Noyes developed, namely perfectionism. Perfectionism was Noyes's view regarding the means of attaining salvation. The two dominant models on which the community was formulated were self-perfection and communalism. The methodology of enacting these principles manifested in an extreme form of Christian practice. With the foundation of abnegation of self toward community, this was further evident in the prohibition of personal indulgences by nature of material comforts. Dress was simple and modest, women’s hair was kept short. For the community, rules were less stringent, with the mansion meeting rooms more elaborately decorated. Religiously, Noyes was considered to be the direct representative of God. His followers followed his directives.

Marriage and Birth Control. Noyes instituted a conception of marriage called complex marriage. Encounters between men and women were arranged via a third party subject to approval, with written records kept. Birth control was practiced according to a system of self-control that Noyes and his wife had experimented with. Noyes later placed additional restrictions in the complex marriage framework. A goal was created whereby encounters were designed to produce a superior race as part of his eugenics project or stirpiculture. Yale University studies have discussed complex marriage as a type of polygamy and polyandry, within religious and social restraints. Outside the community, these practices were deemed immoral.

Work Ethic and Oneida Tableware. The Oneida Community had a strong worth ethic. Members were highly industrious, with production being key. What resulted was a successful manufacturing company that ran throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century into the twentieth century, and continued to function in the twenty-first century within a competitive market. The initial work production, which was launched in 1850, involved canning fruits and vegetables. They also made mop sticks, straw hats, traveling bags, and other functional equipment. Sewing silk was a more delicate manufacturing process with which community members were involved. The silver cutlery for which Oneida became famous originated with community members creating these objects as Oneida silversmiths.

Bibliography

Barnard, Beth Quinn. "The Utopia of Sharing in Oneida, N.Y." The New York Times, 3 Aug. 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/08/03/travel/escapes/03Oneida.html. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

"History." Oneida Community Mansion House, www.oneidacommunity.org/our-history. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

"Oneida Community (1848–1880): A Utopian Community." Social Welfare History Project, Virginia Commonwealth University, socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/religious/the-oneida-community-1848-1880-a-utopian-community/. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

"Oneida Community Collection." Syracuse University Libraries, library.syracuse.edu/digital/guides/o/oneida_comm.htm. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

Reynolds, David S. "Complex Marriage, to Say the Least." The New York Times, 24 Oct. 1993, www.nytimes.com/1993/10/24/books/complex-marriage-to-say-the-least.html. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

White, David. "John Humphrey Noyes: Philosopher of Bible Communism." Philosophy Now, 2008, philosophynow.org/issues/70/John_Humphrey_Noyes_Philosopher_of_Bible_Communism. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.