Skaneateles Community was a

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

social experiment A social experiment is a method of psychological or sociological research that observes people's reactions to certain situations or events. The experiment depends on a particular social approach where the main source of information is the parti ...

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 of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...

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

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...

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

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

, 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 communi ...

. 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 fo ...

, and in the

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, 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 ...

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 The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is ...

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