My surprise

“Don't plan anything for Saturday morning, I've got a surprise for you.”

The rest of the week Merry taunted me, challenging me to guess. The only clues she would give were that we were going to nearby Tully, NY, I was to wear hiking clothes and my water shoes. I was totally mystified.

So on Saturday morning I put on my hiking clothes and got in the car. After a stop for coffee we heading up into the hills west of Tully on a back road. The mystery did not get any clearer until we finally turned into a driveway marked Woodmansee Llamas.

Now I got it. About a month ago I did quite a bit of research on llamas and other camilids for a short story I was writing. We even went to the Burnet Park zoo to see their small herd of guanaco, the presumed wild ancestor of the llama. Then last Tuesday we strolled through the small animal barn at the NY State Fair and spent some time with the llamas on display there. In retrospect I remember Merry remarking that she wondered what it would be like to get to know llamas a bit better.

John and Dawn Bishop own Woodmansee Farms. The farm is situated on a very steep hillside. It's mostly second-growth woods. They have three small barns, one for storage, one for the “boys” and one for the “girls.” As I approached the nearest split rail fence, about half a dozen “girls” trotted over to check me out. Llamas are an odd mixture of skitter and curiosity. Did I have food? No? Then let's run away. But maybe he does have food. Let's check him out again. And so on. A llama face tells you instantly it's a friendly beast.

The next barn houses the seven male trekking llamas. John was in with the animals, getting them harnessed up. The halter is just a simple set a straps around the nose and back of the head with a ring under the chin where a lead rope can be clipped. As he worked he explained how they had gotten interested in llamas. He brought out Zeus, their largest male, about 400 pounds. John told us a good trekking llama can easily carry a third of its weight. Llamas are human-scale. The back of a llama comes about to the waist of an adult human. The long neck means their head sits just about as far from the ground as mine does. Llamas look out at the world from roughly the same vantage point we humans have, but they have bigger eyes and ears.

When we were all gathered, Dawn brought two animals out to fit them with packs. The frame looks a bit like a small horse saddle. Once that is cinched tightly, cloth saddlebags are hung from each side – in this case carrying snacks. Dawn introduced me to Morrie, a white llama with a brown back now covered by saddlebags. Merry got an all-brown llama with the other packs. Once everyone had their own llama, we were off.

Walking with a llama is pretty easy and quite peaceful. They are generally compliant. The biggest challenge is that they see the trail as a llama salad bar. They eat a surprising variety of plants: raspberry and blackberry leaves, almost all tree leaves, any grass, most ferns, and most flowers (wisely avoiding joe-pye weed and goldenrod). A gentle tug was all it took to get them to move on. They walk steadily and carefully. Their feet have soft pads on the bottom with two sharp toenails that serve as protection. They barely leave tracks, even in wet ground. I was surprised to find out that they don't like to get their feet muddy.

After walking down hill for about half a mile we came to the upper reaches of Onondaga Creek. At the top of beautiful Bishop's Falls we stopped for a snack: alfalfa for the llamas, apples, pastries and Gatorade for the people. While we relaxed, we got to hear the llamas “hum,” a fairly quiet noise. Dawn convinced Morrie to show us his teeth. Llama have a triangular row of chisel-like lower teeth in the front of their mouth but no upper teeth. They grasp and cut off plants with their front teeth then slowly grind them between the plates of their gums. We repacked the saddlebags, took a last look at the falls, crossed the creek a couple of times, then slowly worked our way back up the hill to the farm.

Outside the barn we unloaded the packs, then turned the animals out to pasture. They walked away and started grazing without looking back.

Just before we left, Dawn wanted to show us how a llama will take grain from your hand. She gave Merry and me each a handful of llama chow and we headed to the fence. The females came over and inspected us. The bravest one came up to my outstretched palm. Using her lips as a soft spatula the grain quickly disappeared. Two other females came up to Merry and before anyone could react, one snapped her head back and tried to spit on her rival. Mer was in the line of fire and was accidently hit on the arm. We watched from a safe distance as they did it again, putting their heads back and wetly snorting.

All in all it was a fun outing. Not what I'd exactly call a trek, but a very pleasant walk in the woods with an interesting animal companion. For more on the Woodmansee llamas, check out this article from Life in the Finger Lakes, which is where Merry first discovered them.

Joli is gone

Our sweet dog, Joli, departed her long and happy life this morning.

She was our constant companion these last 14 years. She was a pure-bred Border Collie, born in eastern Pennsylvania. Her mother was owned by the sister of a close friend. When we first saw her at six weeks old she was running with the pack of her brothers and sisters and was called “Tulip.” We knew she was the one: sweet, independent and full of life.

She came to live with us in the spring of 1997. She was happy to be with us where ever we lived, first in Oneida, then Syracuse, then St. Louis and finally back to Syracuse again. She loved to travel and was never a problem in any of the many motels, B&Bs and campgrounds she visited. She loved people, especially little kids. She was easy to teach and became a champ at dog agility. She had a good effect on the other dogs she met, kind, inquisitive but never pushy. After overcoming an early fear of water, she loved to swim. She was a perfect canoe dog, traveling many miles in our boats without complaint. At Rap-Shaw, our camp in the Adirondacks, she insisted of spending as much time at the beach as possible.

 I took her for two walks a day, one at 4 am and one at 4 pm, every day, without fail in all weather. That adds up to over 10,000 interesting walks in the last 14 years. She would never be seen without a stick in her mouth.

Yesterday at about 2 am Joli had some kind of an event. We think it was a stroke. After a while we were able to get her to settle down, but she was much reduced. Her hearing was effected and she was left with a neurological problem that made her constantly dizzy. After a thorough physical, the vet told us there was a chance she would recover. We decided to give her a chance. She had become dangerously dehydrated so they gave her a quart of solution under the skin. They told us to give her a motion sickness drug, and feed her bland food. We brought her home, and she slept comfortably most of the day. She happily ate her hamburger mixed with rice. We went for a little walk in the evening and lay in the grass with her for awhile. We had hopes she was recovering.

Early this morning, it happened again. This time she could not stand and had a hard time recognizing us. We knew it was time. We took her to the emergency vet to have her euthanized.

The loss we feel is profound.

Ireland 2011

Ireland May - June 2011 organized by Champlain College, Dublin


Here's an internet enhanced review of our recent trip to Ireland. I haven't included pictures here because Merry has posted a very nice selection on her blog that can be found at http://merryatsyracuse.blogspot.com/. Be sure to check that out. It includes some awesome shots.

DAY 1—FRIDAY MAY 27 – Travel from Syracuse to Dublin
We began our journey by taking Century taxi to airport at noon; cheaper and easier than long-term airport parking. Left Syracuse at 2:44 pm on Jet Blue, arrived 3:57 pm at NYC Kennedy. Spent quite a bit of time trying to find International terminal due to the complete absence of any directional signs. Finally figured out how to ride the AirTrain to the right location. Along the way we had good views of the still amazing Saarinen TWA terminal. Through security again, then had dinner at Tigin, a chain Irish restaurant where I had my first pint of Guinness of the trip. We were seated facing a TV inexplicably tuned to cage boxing, so we left right after eating. Sat around quite awhile and finally left JFK a bit after 9:50 pm on Aer Lingus, stalled almost an hour on runway waiting for take-off. It was a typical red-eye flight on which we got very little sleep and finally arrived at Dublin at 9:50 am local time (about a six hour flight plus a five hour time change).


DAY 2—SATURDAY MAY 28 - Dublin

We were bleary eyed when we cleared immigration and customs and finally made our way out of the Arrivals Hall in the very modern Dublin airport. We were met by Dr. Stephen Robinson, Director of Champlain College, Dublin. We also met up with Paddi Hurley who was on our flight and her sister, Meghan, who arrived earlier. Rounding out our group was Leslie Carew, temporarily the victim of lost luggage. Stephen shepherded us all onto a taxi and we were off to the Augustine Apartments in central Dublin. There was a mix-up and our room was not ready, so we dropped our bags and stumbled up the hill to the early medieval St. Audoen's Church and gardens, then ate a nice late lunch at nearby Noto Cafe before returning to move into our apartment. After checking out our digs, we rendezvoused with the whole group and followed Stephen on a brisk walk through the Temple Bar district to Trinity College, where we were given a short college tour by a grad student in full undergraduate costume, gown and tweeds, then saw the Book of Kells and the Old Library. After the tour, Mer & I walked around the grounds of the Dublin Castle. The weather was quite brisk so we revived with a perfect pint of Guinness at The Stag's Head before we met for a group dinner at Odessa. We were quite worn out when we fell into bed that night.

DAY 3—SUNDAY MAY 29 – Boyne Valley
The group boarded our coach and headed to the historic Boyne Valley, about 40 km north of the Dublin. Our guide for the day was Dr. Kelli Maoileoin, an archeologist and faculty member of Champlain College, Dublin. Our first stop was Loughcrew, a megalithic passage tomb dating back to about 3,000 B.C. We arrived a bit too early, so we went into the nearby village of Oldcastle for coffee at Caffrey's Bar on the square, then picked up the key to the tomb (it's locked to prevent vandalism). The misty day cleared but the wind picked up as we made our way to the top of an open steep hill to a number of tombs. Kelli gave a talk at a ruined tomb then took small groups on tours of the intact main tomb. Lunch was a sort of backyard barbeque at Loughcrew Gardens with a walk through the grounds and garden afterwards. Back on the coach we heard the first of many cultural enrichment stories from our terrific coach driver, Kieran O'Brien of Tony Doyle Coaches. Kelli then gave us a guided walking tour the Hill of Tara, a sacred site for ancient Irish religion and home to medieval Irish kings. Kelli's ability to get us to imagine early Irish history was truly impressive. Back in Dublin we scattered for dinner. Merry & I had good Italian food complete with live music at Toscana right across from the Castle on Dame St., then an early night to catch up on lost sleep.


DAY 4—MONDAY MAY 30 – Dublin

After a continental breakfast delivered to our apartments, the group started the day with a walking tour of historic Dublin guided by local expert Pat Liddy. The tour included a Medieval city gate and a Viking site as well as a walk through beautiful City Hall and Dublin Castle. Mer & I grabbed a cup of coffee then wandered through Merrion Square (1752) where we saw the wonderful Oscar Wilde statue across the street from where he once lived. Then we headed to the Champlain College, Dublin Academic Centre for sandwiches and a lecture on the political history of the Republic of Ireland by Dr. Anthony O’Halloran, a faculty member. We walked through St. Stephen's Green (1663) on the way to our guided tour of Dáil Éireann (Irish Parliament). Evening dinner and entertainment was at the Irish House Party, a traditional Irish music and dancing show. Really a fun day.

DAY 5—TUESDAY MAY 31 – Westport, County Mayo

A trip to Ireland would not be complete without visiting the West Coast area, the home of traditional music, the Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) areas, and gorgeous scenery. We headed out of Dublin by coach with Kieran at the wheel. Stephen gave a running commentary on the sights (focusing on geology and especially peat), and Kieran told stories. We stopped for “carvery” lunch at the Abbey Hotel in Roscommon. The scenery became more and more beautiful as we entered County Mayo heading for our overnight stop in Westport. Westport is a little tourist town filled with the classic brightly-coloured pubs, cafes and shops. We wandered through town and warmed up with a cup of hot chocolate before returning to our very nice lodgings at the Castlecourt Hotel. We ate a simple group dinner in the hotel restaurant. After dinner Merry went for a walk along a converted railroad bed then stopped into the hotel pub where a country and western band was entertaining a group composed mostly of seniors on holiday break. Many of our fellow tourists headed into town to the pubs. We hit the sack early to try to finally overcome our jet lag.

DAY 6—WEDNESDAY JUNE 1 - Westport to Galway

We had a full cooked Irish breakfast in the hotel complete with eggs, sausages, Irish bacon, white and black pudding, brown bread and jam. Whew! Mer took the sensible route with Irish oatmeal. We boarded the coach and stopped at the foot of Croagh Patrick, the traditional Irish Catholic mountain pilgrimage site. A strong wind was blowing off the ocean as we visited the monument to the victims of the Great Famine (1845 - 1852), seen here as a key event in the Irish history of emigration. Unfortunately, the mountain was in the clouds, but the wild scenery was wonderful. We then drove through the increasingly amazing scenery of Connemara with its steep mountains, small villages and fiord. It was late morning when we arrived at the amazing Kylemore Abbey. The steep slopes all around here were literally carpeted in blooming pink azaleas. Mer and I headed straIght to the partly-restored Victorian Walled garden – a real highlight of the trip for us - then toured the castle, but skipped the Abbey itself. Lunch was good soup and a sad sandwich at the gift shop - restaurant. Then it was back on the coach continuing south. Suddenly we turned off the main road and took a very narrow road hemmed in by stone walls into the mountains. Sheep wandered in the road and we stopped for a group photo in the rugged country. A bit further on we stopped at the Joyce Country Sheepdog Demonstration. This was the very best border collie demonstration possible. Joe Joyce is the real thing. He is great with both his beautiful dogs and his sheep. He described his use of collies in sheep farming, demonstrated three styles of herding plus hand sheared one of his blackface sheep. We didn't want to leave but had to get to our overnight stop, the Galway Western Hotel. When we asked for a recommendation for oriental food, the desk clerk directed us to the Asian Tea House. It was an excellent choice and a nice break from meat & potatoes. We walked around to the river and downtown of the City but were definitely under-whelmed.

DAY 7—THURSDAY JUNE 2 – The Burren, Cliffs of Moher and Doolin

Another full Irish breakfast gave us the energy for the day's tour of the Burren, a starkly beautiful limestone plateau with an extensive megalithic history. Our first stop of the day was Corcomroe Abbey, an early 13^th Century church now an interesting ruin. Then as we climbed onto the Burren itself we paused at a “Fairy Fort.” These are actually ancient earth-bermed fortified farmsteads, but are the source of long-standing local superstition. Then up onto the hilltop pavement barrens where we stopped at Poulnabrone Dolmen, a neolithic portal tomb and then at Caherconnel Stone Fort, an early medieval fortified village. We had a late lunch at Vaughan’s Pub in Kilfenora where I tried the traditional bacon and cabbage dinner washed down with Cidona, a popular apple soft drink. Vaughn's is famous, sort of, because it was featured in an episode of “Father Ted,” the famous Irish TV send-up of rural priests. While in Kilfenora we checked out some important high crosses at the village church then headed on to the world famous Cliffs of Moher. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the cliffs were quite dramatic, and chock full of pelagic birds. After we checked in at the Hotel Doolin Mer & I wandered down the road to McGann's Pub that we believe is still owned by a relative of Mike St. Leger, a lawyer from Central NY we have known for a long time. We asked the barman if we could speak to Mr. McGann and were told he no longer operated the pub but that we could stop by his house in town. We sat at the comfortable old pub instead and relaxed in the late afternoon. A little later the group gathered across the road for dinner at McDermott’s Pub. Most of our group stayed on after dinner to hear the music, but we headed back to the hotel. Doolin is known far and wide as the home of traditional Irish music.

DAY 8—FRIDAY JUNE 3 – back to Dublin

We both woke up early, so we went out walking down to the shore in the misty/sunny morning. The tide was in so the waves crashed high against the cliffs and over the harbor breakwater. After another Irish breakfast in the hotel, we boarded the bus for the trip back to Dublin. Back past the cliffs, we were amazed by the legendary Lahinch Golf course then stopped awhile at Lahinch beach to watch the surfers. Two of our intrepid members changed into swim gear to take a short dip on the east side of the Atlantic. We departed the west coast via the Limerick - Dublin motorway. About halfway back we detoured to stop at Moneygall, where President Obama claims remote ancestry. The main street was ranked by alternating American and Irish flags. All the houses were freshly painted thanks to a major Irish paint manufacturer. We poked our heads into the Hayes Pub where Obama had a pint only a week earlier. The locals only seemed slightly annoyed to be interrupted by American tourists. Then it was on to another carvery lunch break at Racket Hall Country House in nearby Roscrea. We were quite weary but happy when we finally arrived back at the Augustine Apartments and moved in again. Some of our group hurried to catch the last tour of either the Guinness Brewery or Kilmainham Gaol. We wanted to see a bit more of Dublin and the afternoon was sunny and warm so we opted to catch the open top Dublin Bus Tour. We stopped at the Garden of Remembrance, where Queen Elizabeth had so famously laid a wreath only two weeks earlier to mark the end of British opposition to the existence of the Irish Republic. After circling the city we hopped off where we got on, crossed the River Liffey for a light dinner at O'Shea's Pub near the apartments.

DAY 9—SATURDAY JUNE 4 - Belfast

After a continental breakfast at the apartments we boarded the bus again for the two hour drive to Belfast, Northern Ireland. We were dropped off and the group boarded Black Taxis for a remarkable tour of the divided city. Each taxi driver is a tour guide. We stopped at murals in both Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods. The messages are chilling. As we drive the streets of the neighborhoods the taxi men told us what it was like to drive in Belfast during the Troubles from 1969 to the recent past. The highlight of the tour were the two stops on both sides of the West Belfast Peace Wall. It may be impossible to really understand contemporary Ireland without doing this tour. The taxis dropped us off back in downtown Belfast where we had lunch in the “snugs” at the incredible fully restored Victorian Crown Bar. We had time to ponder what we had seen on the return trip to Dublin. That evening we had a final group dinner and evening outing at Salamanca Tapas Bar. Sharing Tapas seemed like a fine and friendly way to end the trip. We took group photos on the steps of the City Hall across the street then returned to the apartments to pack for home.

DAY 10—SUNDAY JUNE 5 – Travel back from Dublin to Syracuse

Kieran picked us up for one last ride at 7:30 am. He took us on a quick tour of the Dublin Docklands before taking the new tunnel out of the city to the airport. We saw our trip mates slowly disperse as we made our way through the endless queues: first to check in with Aer Lingus, then through security, then through US customs and immigration (yes you do that in Ireland, not when you get back to the States), then security again (shoes off this time). The whole check-in process took a full two hours. We left on Aer Lingus at 11:25 am after waiting for a bunch of people held up at check-in. Despite the delay taking off, we arrived at NYC Kennedy on schedule at 1:15 pm. We said goodbye to Paddi, on the same flight with us again, at the gate. We ate a unimpressive hamburger in the terminal then waited for our Jet Blue 4:59 pm flight. We arrived in Syracuse at 6:10 pm and took a cab home. Joli, our dog, was overjoyed to see us, as we were her. We went right to bed and dreamed of this wonderful trip.

Reclining on the High Line

We were in New York City just for Friday last week. Our object was to attend two events related to the 100^th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (see post of 03/20/11 for details). Almost all our time in the City was taken up with these events, but we had a couple of free hours on Friday afternoon. The day was clear and cold. At Merry's suggestion we decided to take a walk on the High Line. http://www.thehighline.org/about/park-information

The High Line is a city park like no other. It sits on an abandoned elevated freight line. Its design includes traits of sculpture, contemporary architecture, urban archeology, gardening, people watching and sightseeing.


For almost a hundred years, from 1847 until 1934, freight train lines ran down the center of Tenth Avenue to serve the factories and meat-packing industry on Manhattan's west side. The street level railroad was the source of numerous collisions and many fatalities. Finally during the 1930s the High Line was built, lifting freight traffic 30 feet into the air. Numerous sidings made it possible to run freight cars directly into the upper floors of the factory buildings. This system worked well for a time, but as trucking increased, rail traffic faded. The southern-most section of the High Line was demolished as it went out of use. The last train carrying a load of turkeys used the High Line in 1980.

The elevated track system sat abandoned for the next 20 years. Some property owners lobbied to have it demolished. An effort to restart rail traffic failed. In typical New York fashion, people from the neighborhood figured out ways to access the structure and began to use it as a private walkway. The structure was slated for demolition in 1999 when two neighborhood activists, Joshua David and Robert Hammond, formed “Friends of the High Line” to lobby to save the structure as open space.


The City gave it's support in 2002. CSX donated the structure south of 30th Street to Gansevoort Street in 2005. Construction on the park began in 2006. The first section, from just outside the West Village to West 20th Street, opened in June 2009. The second section, from West 20th Street to West 30th Street, is scheduled to open later this spring.

The experience of walking on the High Line is unique. It's a platform for viewing the city. It's a sculpture in itself. It incorporates extensive gardens and innovative art installations. It has numerous well-designed public spaces, like the wooden recliners on railroad wheels that were so attractive to me on the cold early spring day we visited.

If you have an hour or so and want to take a walk in NYC, try the High Line. You'll be glad you did.

Triangle

This coming Friday, March 25, 2011, is the 100^th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. At noon Friday, Merry and I will be standing on Greene Street in front of the original factory building just off Washington Square in New York City as the names of the 146 people who died in the fire are read. It's a moving ceremony. A ladder truck from the NYFD is positioned with its ladder extended just short of the upper floors where the fire occurred. In those days the height of the buildings had outstripped the available rescue equipment. A fire bell chimes after each name. The pile of memorial flowers on the sidewalk, each bearing a victim's name, slowly grows.


We remember the Triangle Fire not just because it was a horrible and preventable disaster. For me the Fire marks the moment the tide turned in favor of real labor reform in this country. Just the year before the Fire, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the original New York Workers' Compensation Law as unconstitutional because it forced businesses to buy insurance to provide health care and partial replacement wages for workers injured at work. Employers didn't want to reduce their enormous profits even a little, and the Court agreed. Sound familiar?

The Triangle Fire broke out on a fine early spring Saturday. Many New Yorkers were out for an afternoon walk in Greenwich Village. As a result many witnesses saw the desperate young women throw themselves from windows ten stories high to die on the pavement rather than be consumed by the flames. Escape routes were limited. The single fire escape malfunctioned. Some made it to the roof and jumped to an adjourning building. Some got down the stairs, but some stairwells were locked by the owners to supposedly prevent the workers from stealing materials.


One of those eye witnesses was a woman named Frances Perkins, then a sociology professor at Adelphi. After the fire Perkins literally devoted the rest of her life to labor reform. New York soon passed a new Workers' Compensation Law and in 1918 Perkins was appointed to the NY Industrial Commission, the agency charged with finding a way to operate the new Workers' Compensation system. In 1926 she was appointed its chair by the new governor, Franklin D. Roosevelt. In this role she moved New York to the forefront of labor reform, expanding factory safety investigations, lowering the work week to 48 hours, introducing the minimum wage and arguing for the institution of unemployment insurance.


When FDR became president he appointed Perkins his Secretary of Labor, making her the first woman to ever hold a cabinet position. Perhaps her greatest achievement was serving as chair of the Committee on Economic Security whose final report resulted in the Social Security Act of 1935.

To be sure, these accomplishments were made possible by the growth of the labor movement and their unceasing demands for better working conditions. No one disputes that the labor movement received a boost immediately after the fire. Something of the spirit of that age can be caught in remembering how a leader of the International Ladies Garment Workers' Union, Rose Schneiderman, addressed a crowd of 3500 leading citizens who attended a memorial service for the Triangle workers held at the Metropolitan Opera House:

I can't talk fellowship to you who are gathered here. Too much blood has been spilled. I know from my experience it is up to the working people to save themselves. The only way they can save themselves is by a strong working-class movement.

Despite what some would have you believe, that working-class movement goes on today. The ILGWU now calls itself Unite Here! It's one of the prime sponsors of Friday's memorial. If you are in NYC, I urge you to attend. For more information about the NYC events check out http://rememberthetrianglefire.org/


If you are not able to be in NYC, the above link also provides some information on commemorations across the country. In Syracuse there will be a reading of the names at 4:45 pm at the UAW 624 Union Hall at 714 W. Manlius St. in East Syracuse (near the Wegman's on James Street).


Friday evening Merry and I will be at the NYC Fire Museum to support the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Memorial scholarship program that provides small stipends for college students whose families have been affected by a workplace injury. http://www.trianglememorial.org/ I'm proud to have been involved in helping start this group ten years ago. It does good work.


I'm sure labor reform would have eventually come to New York and America had the Triangle Fire not occurred. But it did happen. People were moved and mobilized. Our country is stronger today because they were moved to demand real economic justice. That work continues. 

Oneida Community: a bibliographical essay

Several readers have asked me to collect all my Oneida Community writings in one easily accessible place.  I've finally done that by setting up a new blog: oneidacommunity.blogspot.com.  It also has material not found on this blog.  OC fans are invited to take a look.  From now on my OC writings will be found there, and only non-OC material will be posted here.  

There is an enormous literature devoted to the Oneida Community. A very large number of primary sources exist including the writings of John Humphrey Noyes, the many publications of the OC and the extensive writings of other Community members and descendants. A sizable library of secondary sources also exists. Analysis of the Community began while the Community was still flourishing and continues today. So far as I know, there is no truly complete bibliography of all the Oneida material.

Many folks don't know that the main building from Community days still exists and is open for visits. Not only are there excellent guided tours but overnight accommodations are also available. http://www.oneidacommunity.org/ There is nothing like a visit to the Mansion House to evoke the spirit of the OC. There is also an interesting recent blog by two current residents of the Mansion House that contains a treasure trove of Community tidbits in computer friendly form: http://tontine255.wordpress.com/about/

The only reliable single volume currently in print is Spencer Klaw, Without Sin: The Life and Death of the Oneida Community (1993). Scholars and Community descendants alike have quibbles about Klaw's emphasis on social relations over other aspects of OC, but his book remains the most accessible over-all account.

I also recommend Maren Lockwood Carden, Oneida: Utopian Community to Modern Corporation, (1969, reissued 1998). This slim volume places OC in context better than other accounts and also shows the long-term effects of the OC on its business successor, Oneida Ltd., which was at the time still directed by OC descendants. As part of her research Carden interviewed many OC descendants. Her notes of those interviews are part of the OC Collection at Syracuse University.

After the Community days, a vast archive of OC writings was collected by George Wallingford Noyes, JHN's nephew. He sorted and organized this material with the plan of publishing the authoritative account of the OC. He managed to complete and publish only the first two volumes of his planned six volume work. Both are full of wonderful detail. The Religious Experience of John Humphrey Noyes (1923) deals with Noyes early life emphasizing the development of his religious ideas. John Humphrey Noyes: The Putney Community (1931) deals with the development of the central social practices of the OC such as complex marriage, communal ownership and mutual criticism. After GW Noyes died in 1941 some undetermined portion of this family archive was destroyed by descendants who feared the material, if made public, would somehow cause serious economic harm to Oneida, Ltd.

Fortunately, while GW Noyes was still alive, he allowed Robert Allerton Parker to have unlimited access to the family archive. Parker used these materials to produce the only “authorized” biography of JHN, A Yankee Saint: John Humphrey Noyes and the Oneida Community (1935). The remains of the family archive was finally collected at Syracuse University. GW Noyes' notes and outline for the unfinished volumes can be found there. In addition Lawrence Foster carefully reviewed the remaining manuscript material and produced an excellent selection, Free Love in Utopia: John Humphrey Noyes and the Origin of the Oneida Community (2001).

There are four very evocative books that portray everyday life in the OC and immediately after the break-up. All four are worth reading. Pierrepont B. Noyes, My Father’s House: An Oneida Boyhood (1937), Corinna Ackley Noyes, The Days of My Youth (1960), Harriet M. Worden, Old Mansion House Memories, By One Brought Up In It (1950) and Jane Kinsley Rich, ed., A Lasting Spring: Jessie Catherine Kinsley, Daughter of the Oneida Community (1983).

An even more intimate view of daily life can be found in the two published Community diaries, both edited by Robert Fogarty. I feel the introductory material to these books by Prof. Fogarty is some of the most lucid analysis of the OC in print. Both diaries concern the effects of living in a complex marriage. The diary of Tirzah Miller, Desire & Duty at Oneida: Tirzah Miller’s Intimate Memoir (2002) shows how one woman totally embraced complex marriage. The diary of Victor Hawley, Special Love/Special Sex: an Oneida Community Diary (1994) shows a man in anguish over his “special love” for one woman and how it ultimately led the two of them to leave OC.

Also worth mention are the three books by Constance Noyes Robertson, JHN's granddaughter and wife of the then president of Oneida Ltd. Late in her life, she compiled, edited, and wrote commentary on OC materials gleaned from a wide variety of published sources. Her books are highly readable and do provide a good, if somewhat unreliable, introduction. Oneida Community: An Autobiography, 1851-1876 (1970); Oneida Community: The Breakup, 1876-1881 (1972); and Oneida Community Profiles (1977). Most scholars, myself included, believe these books to be primarily intended to protect the respectability of the OC legacy rather than accurately tell the entire story.

The bulk of the Oneida Community manuscript material is now held by the Syracuse University Library. SU has made digital copies of many of the OC books and publications available on-line along with 140 historic photographs. http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/o/OneidaCommunityCollection/ In addition SU has catalogued the many thousands of pages of manuscript material they hold in their rare book collection. http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/o/oneida_comm.htm. SU holds a separate collection of the papers passed down to P. Geoffrey Noyes including not only family documents relating to the OC but also a large collection of writings related to the founding and growth of Oneida Ltd. http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/n/noyes_pg.htm Another interesting source of seldom tapped manuscript material is the Rupert Nash papers held by Stanford University. http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf4w100433

For further research, I recommend the excellent selected annotated bibliography by Marlyn Klee at http://www.communalstudies.info/bibliographies.shtml.

The Battle-Axe Letter

John Humphrey Noyes fell in love with Abigail Merwin early in 1834. He met her at the Perfectionist Free Church of New Haven. She was the first person to publicly ally herself with him after he made his public confession of salvation from sin. She was thirty, he twenty-two. She had dark hair and eyes. She was reportedly beautiful. From February 1834 until May 1834 they met often to discuss how to launch a Perfectionist preaching campaign.


Soon after Noyes left New Haven for New York City in the spring of 1834, Merwin began to have doubts about him and eventually broke off their relationship. Noyes was crushed, but he continued his preaching. He wrote constantly and joined with James Boyle in publishing a little magazine, The Perfectionist. Then in January 1837 he learned Abigail Merwin had married and moved to Ithaca, NY. Noyes immediately followed, apparently intending to somehow win her back.


Noyes quickly discovered he was not going to be successful. In the midst of intense emotional turmoil about losing the person he felt destined to love, Noyes suppressed his personal sense of loss and focused instead on the guiding principal of his life, creating a Perfectionist heaven on earth. He later wrote, “I well remember the spiritual lift by which I rose and reached the great idea of a universal marriage, and I wrote the letter to Harrison immediately after that lift.”


The letter to his friend David Harrison was sent from Ithaca on January 15, 1837. In this letter he states the basis for his claim to be the one true leader of the Perfectionists. At the end of the letter Noyes proclaims his belief that in heaven there will be no marriage.

“When the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven there will be no marriage. Exclusiveness, jealousy, quarreling have no place at the marriage supper of the Lamb. God has placed a wall of partition between man and woman during the apostasy for good reasons; this partition will be broken down in the resurrection for equally good reasons. But woe to him who abolishes the law of the apostasy before he stands in the holiness of the resurrection! I call a certain woman my wife. She is yours, she is Christ's, and in him she is the bride of all saints. She is now in the hands of a stranger, and according to my promise to her, I rejoice. My claim upon her cuts directly across the marriage covenant of this world, and God knows the end.”

The letter apparently had a strong impact on Harrison who lent it to a friend, Simon Lovett. Lovett then showed the letter to one Elizabeth Hawley, a young Perfectionist firebrand, who insisted upon having it sent to a Perfectionist preacher, Theophilus R. Gates of Philadelphia. She threatened, if denied, to leave Lovett's house immediately on foot for New Haven during a terrific thunderstorm. The letter was sent.


Gates was no friend to Noyes, but he was just starting his own religiously based campaign against marriage and was looking for allies. By August 1837 Noyes' letter was on the cover of the second number of Gate's broadsheet, “The Battle-Axe and Weapons of War.” Although published anonymously, Noyes quickly admitted he was the author of the letter to avoid suspicion being placed on others. He later admitted he felt that God intended his private thoughts to be made public because thereafter he felt that he was called to defend and ultimately carry out the doctrine of communism in love.

All of the above is well-known Community history, most of it provided by Noyes himself. To truly understand the spirit of the times, and just how far people were willing to go in pursuit of a Perfectionist heaven on earth, we need to take a closer look at Theophilus Gates.

Gates was born on Jan. 12, 1787, in Hartland, in northeastern Connecticut. He initially worked as an itinerate school teacher but by 1810 Gates turned to preaching. Like many others he was swept up in the spirit of revivalism sweeping the country. Gates believed the Bible predicted “a brotherhood of all persons, united by the ecstasies of love and sympathy.” His basic belief in the power of free love would not have been out of place in a hippie commune of the 1970s.

By 1837 Gates had been converted to Perfectionism and had moved to Philadelphia. He had come to believe that in the end days that were fast approaching it was necessary to break down many mistaken human social practices, especially the concept of marriage and the concept of falling in love which he called “an enchantment of the devil."

In place of marriage Gates preached a totally spontaneous and flexible sexual arrangement between men and women. By 1840 Gates and a few followers moved west of Philadelphia to rural northern Chester County near Pottstown where they took up residence in Schenkel's Valley, an area they renamed “Free Love Valley.” There were only a small number of so-called “Battle-Axers.” They had no set codes of conduct, no formal liturgy, and there doesn't seem to have been a set time or location for their meetings. Anecdotal records reveal that group nudity, emulating the pure state of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, played an important role in a Battle-Axe service.
Often services ended by a nude procession to a near-by pond followed by what could only be described as an orgy.

It didn't take long for this behavior to attract attention. Four members were arrested for fornication and adultery at the beginning of 1843. Three were convicted and sent to prison. During these proceedings Battle-Axe followers chose to disrupt the Schenkel Church during the Sunday service by marching nude down the main aisle waving their arms and crying out against the established order.

When Gates died in 1846, the sect continued with Hannah Williamson as their leader. Hannah and her followers were often thrown out of camp meetings and church services for their disruptive tactics. She eventually left the area in the late 1850s to spread the word of free love in the wild west. So ends the era of the Battle-Axes.

So far as I know, Noyes never gave any direct indication he knew about the Battle-Axes, but he must have; the world of Perfectionism was just not that large. Noyes did often criticize “Free Love” as wrong-headed in asserting that an inspired sexual pairing, no matter how Godly, could replace marriage. He felt only a communal marriage was indicated by scriptures, although he did admit he could see how the celibacy of the Shakers might derive from the same scriptures.

Now that Noyes had announced his belief in Bible Communism and especially in communal marriage, there remained the question of how exactly his ideas might be made concrete. That is the story of the Putney Community, and that is where I will turn next.