Ex-director at Woodmere now runs Oneida Mansion

by JIM WEAVER

When my wife Barbara and I were married, we received some Oneida silver tableware as a wedding gift. It was a lovely gift, but I didn’t know anything about the manufacturer or its history until recently. When Patricia (Pat) Hoffman, former Mt. Airy resident and director of development at Woodmere Art Museum for the past eight years, accepted the position as executive director at Oneida Community Mansion House in upper New York State (near Rochester) in February, I began to make some inquiries. I discovered Oneida Ltd. (the silverware company) and the National Historic Landmark mansion and museum/library are connected. As Pat explained, it all began with a charismatic man named John Humphrey Noyes (1811-1886).

Noyes was the leader of a small utopian religious sect called Perfectionists. Following a religious conversion, the young man dedicated himself to becoming a minister. He declared himself free of sin through his faith in Christ, but his extreme views got him in trouble, and he was expelled from Yale Theological Seminary and lost his license to preach.

According to Hoffman, Noyes tried to establish a religious community in Putney, Vermont, but was forced to leave by disapproving neighbors. With a small group of followers, Noyes settled in Oneida in 1848. Perfectionists believed in communal living. They shared all their possessions and work (mostly as farmers) in common, like early Christians. At the community’s high point there were over 350 members.

They also believed in complex marriage, a view that was highly controversial outside the group. It encouraged members to engage in sexual relations with other adult members of the opposite sex. Monogamous marriage was abolished, and children were raised communally. Interestingly, women could exercise choice in partners, and men were responsible for birth control. In 1879, the Oneida Community gave up complex marriage.

An industrious people, they sold canned fruits and vegetables, produced silk thread, leather and carpetbags and manufactured animal traps (including a successful mouse trap) as a means of support. In 1881, they established Oneida Community Ltd. (now Oneida, Ltd.) that became a leading silver tableware manufacturer. Some descendants of the early community are still actively involved in the company.

The first section of the 93,000 square foot, three-story red brick mansion was built in 1862. Over the years it was enlarged four times to accommodate members and their families, and even today descendants of the Oneida Community live in some of the 35 apartments in the mansion. In addition to the apartments, there are nine guest rooms and a dining room.

The Big Hall was the meeting room of the Oneida Community and is now used for concerts, theatrical productions and lectures. The grounds comprise over 33 acres of beautiful lawns and gardens. An old tulip tree is thought to be the largest in the U.S. The building and grounds are often the site of weddings and other private functions.

The Mansion House also owns an 18-hole golf course and private country club that provides additional income. Golf privileges can be arranged for overnight guests. The cost of lodging is $100 plus tax and includes a continental breakfast. Visitors in August (this year Aug. 20-21) can attend the nearby Madison Bouckville Antiques Fair featuring over a thousand dealers.

The Oneida Community Mansion House was organized as a non-profit corporation in 1987 and chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. According to Hoffman, the historic mansion often has displays of interesting 19th century artifacts and photos depicting life here. There is also a library of books owned by the community and reference works (regional history is a strength).

In addition to her many involvements at Woodmere, Pat Hoffman was an active volunteer at the Sedgwick Cultural Center. In her new position she is responsible for institutional management, fundraising and program development.

“Every day is a new adventure,” she says. “The Oneida Community was the most successful of the 19th century utopian experiments and a fascinating piece of American history. Because the mansion is both a museum and an apartment and guesthouse, it presents a whole new set of challenges. Of course, when things get frantic, I can always go for a stroll in the gardens or play a round of golf.”

(Oneida is in New York just off Interstate #90, New York State Thruway, Exit 33, midway between Syracuse and Utica. The Oneida Community Mansion House web site is at www.oneidacommunity.org Telephone 315-363-0745.)