Free Love, Free Market
The Oneida Community Mansion House, built in 1862. Noel King/NPR hide caption
The Oneida Community Mansion House, built in 1862.
Noel King/NPRThis episode originally ran in 2017.
In the 20th century, Oneida was a household name. It was one of the United States' biggest flatware manufacturers, with knives and forks symbolizing middle-class taste, and prolific advertising that came to represent the very idea of a well-set table. Oneida was the American middle class brand.
The company's past, however, is far from ordinary: It started as a commune of perfectionists, who subscribed to an esoteric form of Christianity, and practiced free love.
Music: "Soul Woman" and "One Sweet Glorious Day."
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