Oneida: From Free Love Utopia to the Well-Set Table Free Audiobook Download by Ellen Wayland-Smith

Ellen Wayland-Smith's Oneida: From Free Love Utopia to the Well-Set Table is a fascinating account of Oneida, a commune founded in 1848 in upstate New York. It began as an experiment in communal living and open marriage, but eventually became the largest manufacturer of silverware in America. The utopian ideals that guided the commune quickly fell prey to human desires and Oneida soon became an economic powerhouse - but this success came at a cost. A price that would be paid by generations to come.

Oneida is the story of an American utopia gone wrong. The Oneida community was a communal society that existed in upstate New York in the mid-1800s. In an era when Americans lived through the Civil War, this utopian community seemed to defy convention. Members practiced free love and had multiple partners. They believed they would improve society by teaching men and women equality, abolishing marriage, and encouraging sexual expression as a means of personal health. When their utopian aspirations failed to materialize, members were forced to change how they did things, but it wasn't enough to save them.

Oneida is a story that took place in New York State, USA. It was established by John Humphrey Noyes as a religious commune to help create heaven on Earth. The community at Oneida had no marriage or children and practiced free love. They also avoided the use of money and had a communal dining room with workers eating first and others waiting for seconds. However, by 1879, there were more people working in factories than farming so they turned to making silverware which became their most successful business. In 1881, they became the Oneida Limited Company and eventually made over $2 million worth of silverware each year