(Canastota, NY – Oct. 2015) The Oneida Community will be the topic of the second fall Canalside Talk Thursday Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Canastota Public Library, 102 W. Center St. The talks are a coordinated project between the Canal Town Museum and the Canastota Public Library
Tony Wonderley, PH.D, is the Curator of Collections at the Oneida Community Mansion House. He will provide an illustrated introduction to the most radical utopia in American history. The talk will delve into why the Perfectionists of Oneida were the scandal of Victorian America and why they called themselves communists while achieving success as industrial capitalists.
The talk showcases the Oneida Mansion House and its company that eventually became the world’s largest manufacturer of silverware.
Wonderley is a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow and a Fellow of the New York State Archeological Association. He publishes widely on New York archeology, Native American mythology and the Oneida Community.