Skaneateles Community was a

utopian A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', describing a fictional island society ...

social experiment A social experiment is a type of psychological or sociological research for testing people's reactions to certain situations or events. The experiment depends on a particular social approach where the main source of information is the point of v ...

established in 1843 by the Society for Universal Inquiry and Reform in a farm near Mottville, in Skaneateles in

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

based on

Fourierist Fourierism () is the systematic set of economic, political, and social beliefs first espoused by French intellectual Charles Fourier (1772–1837). Based upon a belief in the inevitability of communal associations of people who worked and lived to ...

principles. It was one of several communities established by the Society prior to the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. The community survived for three years. John A. Collins (1810–1900), a noted

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

, became the

community leader Community leader is a designation, often by secondary sources (particularly in the media), for a person widely perceived to represent a community. A simple way to understand community leadership is to see it as leadership in, for and by the communit ...

. During its life, the community had about a hundred members who shared living quarters as well as work on the

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...

, and in the

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

and print shop. Although economically viable, internal differences and Collins' waning leadership resulted in the dissolution of the community. By 1846, Collins had reverted to theism and the Whig party, and had become the editor of a daily Whig journal published in Dayton, Ohio. He wrote an autobiographical essay that included a short description of his motives in establishing the community, attributing its failure to human nature:

"... We established a community upon the no-government, or non-resistance principle ; upon the largest liberty ; upon the broadest principles of democratic equality. With a faithful and honest trial of nearly three years, we were compelled to renounce the principles we entertained, both in relation to governments and religion and society, as false in theory and pernicious in their practical tendencies. "They might, so far as governments are concerned, do very well if men were angels, and angels gods ; but human nature is too low, too selfish, and too ignorant for relations so exalted. ...":

Current

The location was later renamed

Community Place Community Place, in Skaneateles, New York, was built in 1830. It was photographed by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1963 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It was a relatively successful Fourierist comm ...

. Currently the community house is used as a wedding venue, the Carriage Barn at Frog Pond.The Carriage Barn at Frog Pond
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References

* Hamm, Thomas D. "Skaneateles Community." ''Encyclopedia of New York State'', 2005. * Fogarty, Robert. "Utopian and Intentional Communities," ''The Encyclopedia of New York State''. Syracuse University Press, 2005. * Syracuse-Onondaga County Planning Agency. ''Onondaga Landmarks''. 1975. * Harley McKee, Patricia Earle, Paul Malo. ''

Architecture Worth Saving in Onondaga County ''Architecture Worth Saving in Onondaga County'' is a 1964 book that surveyed buildings across Onondaga County, New York, and discussed their historical value. Undertaken by the New York State Council on the Arts, and compiled by a group of profess ...

''. Syracuse University Press. 1964. {{coord missing, New York (state) History of New York (state) Utopian communities in the United States Utopian socialism Populated places established in 1843 1843 establishments in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Onondaga County, New York