Oneida Community Mansion House facts for kids
The Oneida Community Mansion House is a historic house and museum that was once the home of the Oneida Community. This was a special group of people who lived together and shared everything. They were led by John Humphrey Noyes. Noyes and his followers moved to this spot in Oneida from Putney, Vermont in 1848. The Community lived in the Mansion House together until 1880. Then, they decided to become a regular company.
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Oneida Community Mansion House
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Building: 1907 postcard
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | 170 Kenwood Avenue, Oneida, New York 13421 |
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| Built | 1848 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000527 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | June 23, 1965 |
The Mansion House has been lived in since it was built in 1862. In the 1900s, it became a National Historic Landmark. This means it is a very important historical place. Today, a non-profit group takes care of it. The building still has apartments where people live. It also has guest rooms for visitors who want to stay overnight.
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History of the Oneida Community Mansion House
The Oneida Community Mansion House sits on 33 acres of land. In the 1860s, the original Community owned over 160 acres. This land was near Oneida Creek in Madison County, New York and Oneida County, New York. The land became available for settlers after agreements with the Oneida Indian Nation in 1840 and 1842.
The first farm for the Oneida Community was bought by Jonathan Burt. He was an early follower of a religious idea called "perfectionism." In 1847, Burt asked John Humphrey Noyes and his group in Putney, Vermont to come to Oneida. He wanted them to start a perfectionist group there.
Burt wrote to John Humphrey Noyes and offered to help start a community in Oneida. At that time, Noyes and his followers were living in Putney, Vermont. They were called the Putney Association. This group lived together like one big family. They shared their property and their work. They called this system "Bible communism." The group moved to Oneida in March 1848. This is when they became the Oneida Community.
The First Mansion House Building
The first Mansion House was built in the winter of 1848. A carpenter named Erastus Hamilton designed it. The whole community helped with the ideas and the building. This new building gave the Oneida family more space. They had quickly grown too big for the small farmhouses and log cabins.
Most of the building work was done by the Community members. They had a saw mill on their land. Many members were also carpenters. One member remembered that building their home was the first big project for everyone. All members worked, including the women.
One special part of the first Mansion House was the tent room. It was on the third floor. This large room had twelve tents inside. These tents helped people spend time together and not feel lonely. Another important place was the common table. All members had to eat meals there together.
Soon after it was built, the first Mansion House became too crowded. The members knew they needed more space. In 1855, the community newspaper, The Circular, said the small space helped them live together. But the Community had grown to 170 members. They had simply outgrown the building.
Building the New Mansion House
In 1861, the Community started building a bigger house made of brick. Erastus Hamilton, a Community member, designed it. This new Brick Mansion House was finished in 1862. It was 45 by 60 feet and three stories tall.
A south wing was added in 1869. Another part was added in 1877-78. This was designed by Lewis W. Leeds. These additions were needed because the community kept growing. It soon had almost 300 people.
The way the Mansion House was designed showed the Community's values. Ideas for the 1862 house were talked about in evening meetings. The group finally chose a plan for an Italianate Villa-style building. The first floor had an office, a room for visitors, a library, and a guest bedroom.
Individual sleeping rooms were around shared sitting rooms. These were on the first, second, and third floors. A five-story tower was at the northeast corner of the House. It looked over the area and had its own stairs.
Shared spaces were very important to the Community. The most important part of the 1862 House was the Family Hall. This two-story hall could hold hundreds of people. It was where the whole Community gathered every day. Smaller sitting rooms were also important. People used them daily for reading, working, and talking with others.
The second-floor sitting room was called one of the "coziest places in all of the house." It had a third-floor gallery that looked down on the sitting area. Members did not own private things. So, their personal belongings were simple. Sleeping rooms were very plain. Also, people changed sleeping rooms often. This was to stop them from getting too attached to one room. The sleeping rooms still gave some privacy in a shared living space.
The Big Hall for Community Gatherings
The Big Hall, also called the Family Hall, was the center of community life. This two-story hall was painted to look like it had more depth (this style is called trompe l'oeil). It had benches on the main level. The balcony could seat 200 more people. A stage at one end was used for performances.
Every evening at eight o'clock, members met in the Big Hall. They listened to Noyes, heard readings, and talked about community matters. They also took part in a practice called 'mutual criticism.' This was a way for members to help each other improve.
The South Wing for Children
The 1869 South Wing was built in the Second Empire style. It was added when the Community decided to have more children. For many years, the Community had kept the number of births low.
Children usually stayed with their mothers for nine months. After that, they moved to the South Wing. Here, older members and teachers cared for them daily. Children in the South Wing were separated by age. The youngest were in the Drawing Room. The oldest were in the South Room. Children in between were in the East Room.
The children had many toys. These included blocks, marble rollers, and rocking horses. They also had homemade picture books. They received lessons in many subjects. One person who grew up there later said that "the children were much like other children of the same age." She also remembered that the women caring for them spent a lot of time helping children share toys.
After the Community Ended
The Oneida Community faced criticism from outside. There were also growing disagreements within the group. So, in 1880, the group voted to stop being a Utopian community. They became a regular company called Oneida Community, Ltd.
Their businesses included canned fruits and vegetables, animal traps, and silk thread. They also made tableware. Later, the company became known as Oneida Limited. It became a top maker of silverware in the 1900s.
After the Community ended, former members and their families kept living in the Mansion House. They changed the small, individual rooms into larger suites. This was to fit a less communal way of living. Some local public school teachers also lived in the Mansion. They paid very low rent and got meals during the school year. These teachers had their own bedrooms and shared bathrooms.
The non-profit Oneida Community Mansion House bought the property from Oneida Ltd in 1987.
