Ferrer Colony and Modern School
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The Ferrer Colony and Modern School was an anarchic utopia that was started by 22 anarchists on June 12, 1910. The Ferrer Modern School was opened 19 months later. The supposed utopia was set up near New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was finally shut down in the early 1950s. The entire project was named after Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, a well known activist and anarchist of the time.
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[edit] Political and social structure
The colony decided that the colony would only continue as long as help and support was provided from the residing members, and if people choose to leave , or join, they could; no questions asked. The colonies most respected tradition was lecture groups and social gatherings. No rule was laid down without everyone knowing about it before hand, and these discussion groups were where the people were informed of its existence.
[edit] Family/Marriage
Although the Colony was generally very tight knit, it didn't interfere with peoples home relationships. This gave Ferrer Colony and Modern School the reputation of being a center for free love, and like most attempted utopias of the time, this brought new inhabitants. The colony did not allow homosexual relationships. Women's rights were also non-existent, although there were many lecture groups and social parties dedicated to women's rights within the colony. [1]
[edit] Property and goods
Every yard owned by the utopia was bought for $100, and then resold to its inhabitants for $150 [2]. Many original inhabitants were poor, and had trouble making a life for themselves in their new home. By 1922, 90 homes, the peak number ever set up by the colony, were established. The homes and society came from a sense of camaraderie that grew with the temporarily poor community. Interestingly enough, these homes were only weekend homes. In the start of the 1920s, many people lived at the Ferrer Colony, but they worked in New York City. Everyday its inhabitants would take the train to New York City, perform their job, then return later that night.
[edit] Downfall
Ferrer Colony and Modern School finally ended during the early 1950s for a number of reasons. During the Second World War the government bought the surrounding land, and the colony was subject to theft, vandalism and even rape[3], and most importantly, the parents stopped sending their children to the school which founded the entire colony. Between 1955 and 1958, the assets of the school were sold off.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Attempted Utopian Society Ferrer Colony and Modern School Part 2
- ^ Wallenchinsky, D Irving, W: The People's Almanac, page 1432. Doubleday and Company, Inc.,1975
- ^ Laurence Veysey, The Communal Experience: Anarchist and Mystical Communities in Twentieth-Century America (Chicago, 1978)p. 77-78
- ^ The Stelton Modern School, TalkingHistory.com. Accessed October 22, 2007.
[edit] Bibliography
- Wallace, David (1975). The Peoples Almanac. Doubleday & Company, Inc..
- Avrich, Paul (1980). The Modern School Movement. Princeton University Press.
- http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/libs/scua/modern_school/modern.shtml
- http://recollectionbooks.com/bleed/Encyclopedia/ModernSchool.htm
