Oneida Community Mansion House — Attraction in City of Oneida

One of the landmark properties in upstate New York is the Oneida House. Its history is marked as once being a utopian religious and perfectionist community that lasted from 1848 to 1880. The founder, John Humphrey Noyes, contested the social mores of his day and sought to render a commune dedicated to a more cooperative living and working ethic. Having previously read about the history of this unique assemblage, it was of interest to my husband and I to visit where it all began. With learning about the organization opening up part of its building to B&B guests, we decided to take the opportunity of a brief stay. Guests are also given the ability to tour the building and grounds for free. ||||The approach to the house is sweeping with a large green lawn in contrast to the dark red brick of the expansive three-story building, which exhibits a combination of Italian and Gothic revival architecture with some Victorian details. It originally included several buildings that became interconnected, three of which were residential buildings, plus an assembly hall, totaling 93,000 square feet. In walking up to the front building one sees a sign that at once asks for donations to continue their ongoing renovations. Once inside, a table displays a range of literature, and a door to the left opens to the gift shop and where one checks in. ||||A woman greeted us and once we said that we had booked a room in their B&B, she took our credit card for the stay. She suggested that we first take a look at the exhibit across the hall to get an overview of Oneida’s history. We were familiar with the group’s views on shared ownership, marriage, the raising of their young, and also about their form of polyamory and male control of ejaculation to prevent unwanted impregnation. We found that the explanation of their early practices were well accounted, along with all the rest of their ways of living. ||||When we had completed reading that introduction, the woman escorted us down several halls to come to a part of the building where guests stayed. She showed us a large bright and airy room with a high ceiling. The walls were white, but all the wood framing and even the heating unit were painted a sky-blue, and the carpet was a dark blue. The king size bed was a type of wooden slay bed, with a Yaxley-like paneled headboard, curved sides and a low footboard. The bathroom was also large and tiled. Both rooms had very tall windows that faced a large grassy lawn and trees. A continental breakfast is included, but not full meals. One is also gifted with a hardcopy of Pierrepont B. Noye’s book, My Father’s House. ||||The next morning we went on the self-guided tour, which is allowed every day between 10:00 and 3:00, with the help of a handout to guide us. There were many rooms that served as an example of what the old Oneida house once looked like. A room showed the first industry that the Oneida workers participated in, that of making animal game traps, sewing silk clothing and canning fruit preserves. The children’s wing contains the nursery and nursery kitchen. A room showed the quilts they made, textile tapestry weavings, and their clothes, especially the pantalettes that the women wore. The community library had two rooms. One was very impressive with large dark wooden shelves, filled with several thousand books. When the Oneida community began making silverware, and then the war began, posters encouraged the support of the troops and investing in the future, with of course, silver.||||Another room held curios, which were presented in glass displays, filled with items that once belonged to the residents. When one joined the Oneida community, one gave over all their money and worldly possessions. If one left, they could take their personal items and treasures, but a percentage of their items had to remain in compensation for the person staying there. The bedrooms were small and only had a single bed. Couples were encouraged to not sleep together unless permission was approved to have children. If couples began to attach, it was frowned upon and considered “sticky”. || ||Although it was raining off and on while we were there, we were able to see some of the lawns and gardens on the property’s thirty-three acres. A trail map is available that one can use to self-guide and see the south garden with its tulip trees and the one-hundred foot tall black walnut tree, the north garden, knot garden, vineyard, orchard, summer house, pergola, cemetery, log cabin, and Sunset Lake. ||||We were told that the people who live in Oneida are a very tight-knit group, many of whom had ancestors that once were part of the Oneida community. In fact, two upper floor rooms are still occupied by inherited members. A community journal is available that offers many articles on life of the Oneida’s, which was begun in 1987. It has published thirty-three issues, the latest available is their Fall 2021, Vol 36, No. 2 issue. And if one is intrigued in the specifics of the architecture of the Oneida building, an article published by the American Communal Societies Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 1, by Kevin Coffee, may be of interest. ||||We were glad that we had stayed there and were impressed by the industriousness at which the community strove to make a living, outside the usual social norms of the time, and how the grounds and building...

One of the landmark properties in upstate New York is the Oneida House. Its history is marked as once being a utopian religious and perfectionist community that lasted from 1848 to 1880. The founder, John Humphrey Noyes, contested the social mores of his day and sought to render a commune dedicated to a more cooperative living and working ethic. Having previously read about the history of this unique assemblage, it was of interest to my husband and I to visit where it all began. With learning about the organization opening up part of its building to B&B guests, we decided to take the opportunity of a brief stay. Guests are also given the ability to tour the building and grounds for free. ||||The approach to the house is sweeping with a large green lawn in contrast to the dark red brick of the expansive three-story building, which exhibits a combination of Italian and Gothic revival architecture with some Victorian details. It originally included several buildings that became interconnected, three of which were residential buildings, plus an assembly hall, totaling 93,000 square feet. In walking up to the front building one sees a sign that at once asks for donations to continue their ongoing renovations. Once inside, a table displays a range of literature, and a door to the left opens to the gift shop and where one checks in. ||||A woman greeted us and once we said that we had booked a room in their B&B, she took our credit card for the stay. She suggested that we first take a look at the exhibit across the hall to get an overview of Oneida’s history. We were familiar with the group’s views on shared ownership, marriage, the raising of their young, and also about their form of polyamory and male control of ejaculation to prevent unwanted impregnation. We found that the explanation of their early practices were well accounted, along with all the rest of their ways of living. ||||When we had completed reading that introduction, the woman escorted us down several halls to come to a part of the building where guests stayed. She showed us a large bright and airy room with a high ceiling. The walls were white, but all the wood framing and even the heating unit were painted a sky-blue, and the carpet was a dark blue. The king size bed was a type of wooden slay bed, with a Yaxley-like paneled headboard, curved sides and a low footboard. The bathroom was also large and tiled. Both rooms had very tall windows that faced a large grassy lawn and trees. A continental breakfast is included, but not full meals. One is also gifted with a hardcopy of Pierrepont B. Noye’s book, My Father’s House. ||||The next morning we went on the self-guided tour, which is allowed every day between 10:00 and 3:00, with the help of a handout to guide us. There were many rooms that served as an example of what the old Oneida house once looked like. A room showed the first industry that the Oneida workers participated in, that of making animal game traps, sewing silk clothing and canning fruit preserves. The children’s wing contains the nursery and nursery kitchen. A room showed the quilts they made, textile tapestry weavings, and their clothes, especially the pantalettes that the women wore. The community library had two rooms. One was very impressive with large dark wooden shelves, filled with several thousand books. When the Oneida community began making silverware, and then the war began, posters encouraged the support of the troops and investing in the future, with of course, silver.||||Another room held curios, which were presented in glass displays, filled with items that once belonged to the residents. When one joined the Oneida community, one gave over all their money and worldly possessions. If one left, they could take their personal items and treasures, but a percentage of their items had to remain in compensation for the person staying there. The bedrooms were small and only had a single bed. Couples were encouraged to not sleep together unless permission was approved to have children. If couples began to attach, it was frowned upon and considered “sticky”. || ||Although it was raining off and on while we were there, we were able to see some of the lawns and gardens on the property’s thirty-three acres. A trail map is available that one can use to self-guide and see the south garden with its tulip trees and the one-hundred foot tall black walnut tree, the north garden, knot garden, vineyard, orchard, summer house, pergola, cemetery, log cabin, and Sunset Lake. ||||We were told that the people who live in Oneida are a very tight-knit group, many of whom had ancestors that once were part of the Oneida community. In fact, two upper floor rooms are still occupied by inherited members. A community journal is available that offers many articles on life of the Oneida’s, which was begun in 1987. It has published thirty-three issues, the latest available is their Fall 2021, Vol 36, No. 2 issue. And if one is intrigued in the specifics of the architecture of the Oneida building, an article published by the American Communal Societies Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 1, by Kevin Coffee, may be of interest. ||||We were glad that we had stayed there and were impressed by the industriousness at which the community strove to make a living, outside the usual social norms of the time, and how the grounds and building...

The Oneida Community Mansion is a unique historical site in Sherrill, NY. The mansion offers guided tours, self guided tours, and also serves as a hotel. It is easy to spot this mansion as it is made of thousands of red bricks. The mansion is registered as a National Historic Landmark. The mansion was built in stages from 1862-1878, under the direction of John Humprhey Noyes, who founded his “free love community” here in 1848. Noyes called his community the “Perfectionists.” The community actually sustained itself for a while, but like all utopian visions completely collapsed by the 1880’s. Despite its collapse, a company formed by the community called Oneida Limited survived by manufacturing traps and then silverware for over 100 years. If you’re doing a tour you are pretty much allowed to walk around the mansion. There are certain rooms that are blocked off for guests and tenants. Each room has a description of what the Perfectionists used the rooms for. The “Community Hall” in the middle of the mansion is probably the most unique room in the mansion. In this room members met to discuss their lives and sometimes it was used for theatrical performances. The library is also an interesting room and contains well over 3,000 books. Other rooms in the mansion discuss the history of Oneida Ltd and have exhibits about the company. Another room displays the braided silk work of Jessie Kinsley who was born in the community. Interestingly enough if you look on the walls in the lobby of the mansion you will see what was thought to be the world’s largest jigsaw puzzle when it was created in the 1930’s. Be sure to walk the grounds of the mansion as well. There are some nice gardens located here. The “Quadrangle” or interior courtyard is a unique part of the mansion, where a large tulip poplar tree can be seen. Overall, because the story of the community is interesting this mansion is worth taking a tour of. The history of it is well described and put together in their exhibits. Check the mansion’s website for guided tour times and hours. There is a lot to learn from this unique...