The annual conference of the Com-munal Studies Association will be in the bucolic setting of the South Union Shaker village, near Bowling Green, Kentucky. The conference has a ro-bust program with a strong represen-tation of varied topics of interest to communal scholars and community members. The regional setting also provides a launching point to visit other sites of interest to CSA partici-pants, and there are several options for travel and accommodations. Program Content This year’s conference has a robust slate of presentations covering a breadth of topics and communities of interest to attendees. As expected of a South Union Shaker village venue, there is a strong representation of Shaker scholarship in the program, but many communal groups are rep-resented, including: Amana, Harmo-nists, Hutterites, Mormons, and oth-ers. Also, there will be some interest-ing and engaging topics presented on communal philosophy and ideology, research methods in communal stud-ies, gender issues, monasticism and alternative living arrangements, and the fine arts and literature. Fitting with the conference theme of “Community of the Margins,” Dr. Stephen Taysom of Cleveland State University will be presenting a plenary session addressing the marginality of communal groups. Dr. Taysom’s recent monograph, Shakers, Mormons, and Religious Worlds: Conflicting Visions, Contested Boundaries (Indiana U. Press, 2010) addresses this issue of how communal groups have maintained their boundaries in varied social envi-ronments. Travel Information, Logistics Airports servicing the Bowling Green area are Nashville, TN (BNA), which is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes away, and Louisville, KY

(SDF), at approximately 2 hours away. Conference participants who desire to do the Pleasant Hill post-conference tour should fly into the Louisville airport for trav-el convenience. American Airlines has offered a 5% discount for CSA conference travelers flying into either of these airports between Sept. 26 and Oct. 5. To obtain the discount, use the promotion code 2591AQ, which can be provided to either your travel agent or entered directly into the www.aa.com website (choose more flight search options and enter the promotion code in the appropriate box).

The host hotel is the Holiday Inn University Plaza (1021 Wilkinson Trace, 270-745-0088). There are two overflow hotels nearby, within walking dis-tance, Hilton Garden Inn (1020 Wilkinson Trace) and Courtyard Bowling Green (1010 Wilkinson Trace). All of these hotels are accessible via Scottsville Road, which is Exit #22 from I-65, the interstate you will use from either the Louisville or Nashville airport. The South Union Shaker Village conference site is approximately 15 miles (25 minutes) southwest of the host hotel via US 68 (west). The CSA will have a shuttle van to assist with transporting partici-pants to the conference site, and

South Union ConferenceSouth Union ConferenceSouth Union Conference September 29 to October 1, 2011September 29 to October 1, 2011September 29 to October 1, 2011

Communiqué

UPCOMING

CONFERENCES

2012

Oneida, NY October 4-6, 2012

2013

Harmony, PA October 3-5, 2013

2014

Amana, IA Dates TBA

Celebrating 300 years

of the Inspirationists

See Page 8

for

2011

Conference

Registration

Form

Inside this issue:

President’s Column 2

Executive Director’s Column

3

Communal News 4

Calendar of Events 5

South Union Profile 6

ICSA in Israel 9

The Communal Studies Association Newsletter

VOLUME 36 ISSUE 2 SUMMER 2011

we will also facilitate ride-sharing among members with rental cars. Sites of Interest, Pleasant Hill Post-Conference Ex-cursion Bowling Green is near sev-eral sites of interest to CSA participants, as noted in anoth-er article within the newslet-ter. Also, Evansville and the New Harmony, Indiana area are approximately a 2 hour drive northwest for those who desire to visit the historic site of our prior conference. For those who arrive in time to tour a local site of interest near the hotel, you may want to consider a visit to the Ken-tucky Museum (http://www.bgkymuseum.org/ ) housed on the campus of Western Kentucky University. The Museum highlights the Commonwealth’s historical context, and has a significant collection of South Union Shaker artifacts and manu-scripts. Other exhibits of interest during the time of the

CSA conference include: Rec-ommended by Duncan Hines (KY native and well-known travel and food writer of the early 20th century), and A Star

Centre Family House

South Union Tavern

Continued on page 10

passionately interested in the preserva-tion of America’s communal heritage, and are members of a group whose mission statement explicitly states that interest, we should not forget the com-munal museums during this time of crisis. So, how can the CSA and its members do more to help the on-going preservation and education efforts at these sites? There are no easy answers, of course. But there are simple things that can drastically impact the day-to-day opera-tions of a museum. The first of these is to become a member of the sites you care about. Membership often comes with fringe benefits (free admission, museum store discounts, a newsletter, etc.). What membership does for an organization is give them a reliable sense of their audience, and allow them to promote (hopefully) healthy mem-bership statistics when they apply for grants, which are increasingly more difficult to get. Membership often in-volves a small financial commitment from year-to-year. For those who are willing to consid-er a more substantial gesture in support of a site they love (or, I must, say, the CSA) planned giving is an option worth exploring. It is increasingly common for individuals to specify that a charitable organization (which most museums legally are) receive a percentage, or dollar amount, of their estate upon their death. The giving is “planned” in that it needs to be legally established in a will prior to the death of the individu-al, and also because typically the institu-tion is made aware of the intentions of the donor and can use the information in long-range planning of its own. Tar-geted gifts to a museum’s endowment are always welcome. The donor should be satisfied in the knowledge that their money will become “seed corn,” that the institution hopefully will not con-sume, but instead use to generate more assets. Alternatively, museums often have lists of projects that they have conceived of relating to preservation of buildings, archives, or landscape that donors can give to directly. This is often an attractive option since the donor knows exactly what their money has been used for and should see a tangible result. For those without the financial wherewithal to give to museums, volun-teering is a great option, and usually an extremely welcome one. Museums have

A MESSAGE FROM

VOLUME 36 ISSUE 2 SUMMER, 2011 PAGE 2

CHRISTIAN GOODWILLIE

come more and more to rely on volun-teer docents as budget cuts preclude the hiring of paid interpretive staff. Vol-unteers also often work in museum gardens, grounds, and staff special events. Most museums have a staff per-son who acts as a volunteer coordina-tor and who is the preferred contact for anyone wishing to explore the pos-sibilities. To find out about the communal mu-seums in your area just go to the fol-lowing page on the CSA’s new website: http://www.communalstudies.org/resources As I have talked to friends and former colleagues in the museum world over the past two years things have gradually gotten worse and worse. These circum-stances have prompted me to write this column. Americans will have to depend less and less on the Federal and State governments for the preservation of their historic sites. The pool of assets is shrinking as the demands on it only grow. So, it is at a time like this that we, as individuals, need to evaluate what is important to us, and decide whether or not we want to act for the preservation of what we value.

Art of Community FIC Conference Want to participate in an immer-sive experience celebrating com-munity? Join representatives from many types of intentional communities (ecovillages, cohousing, urban coop houses, student coops, etc.), com-munity organizers, and people in-terested in the basic principles of living “in community” This is a unique opportunity to connect around the values and practices of cooperative culture as a corner-stone of resilient communities. Art of Community will be held at Westminster Woods, a retreat camp nestled in the coastal red-woods north of San Francisco on September 23 - 25. The weekend will be a rich mix of skill building, interactive and educational activi-ties, workshops, and presentations, celebration of community, and a place to connect and share ideas, knowledge, skills, and stories. For additional details visit: www.artofcmty.com or call: 313-444-CMTY (2689) or email: events@ic.org

The Past, Present and Fu-ture of Communal Sites One aspect of the mission of the Communal Studies Associa-tion is often overlooked, although it is the first goal listed: “To en-courage and facilitate the preser-vation, restoration, and public interpretation of America’s histor-ic communal sites.” How do we as an organization, and as individuals, work towards this goal? The CSA holds its annual con-ferences at communal sites throughout the United States. Sometimes we meet at contempo-rary communities, but most often we meet at historic sites that interpret the built legacy of a communal group that has often since faded out of existence. As individuals, many of us make the effort to travel to visit these sites. Some people, Don Janzen comes to mind, go even further and at-tempt to document what they can—above and below ground—for the benefit of future genera-tions. Times are tougher for almost everyone now than they ever have been (certainly in my life-time). The finances of businesses and individuals are under tremen-dous strain. Charitable organiza-tions that depended on the lar-gesse of government and private funding are finding times to be even harder as there is less cash available for donations to these entities. In the balance, people are more apt to give to social chari-ties than they are to museums, and that is fair enough. As a group of people who are

waters, held back by the Levee, perco-lated through the dike and into historic basements all over town, causing electri-cal outages and furnace failures, and the Ohio Historical Society’s Bimeler Muse-um, to move it off its foundation. (The building still has not reopened.) The town was marooned by floodwaters for more than a week. To make matters worse, similar floods occurred in 2008 and, again, last winter. The Levee was no longer doing what it was intended to do and worries are that it may fail catastrophically. What should be done to address this situation has been the subject of a series of public meetings, studies and visits by Corps officials to meet with Zoar and Ohio Historical Society leaders and village residents this summer. Several scenari-os have been presented by the Corps– with the direst being the destruction of the village or moving it to higher ground; neither of which is palatable to village supporters.

Here is where you come in. The “Save Historic Zoar Committee” can use your help in two ways. First, the campaign to make the case for Zoar may cost $50,000 to $70,000 over the 18 month study period. This includes funds for a public and media relations cam-paign, printed materials and mailing and applying for National Historic Landmark Status. The Committee has raised just over $11,000, so far, and a contribution - in any amount – from organizations or individuals would be most helpful. More importantly, with regards to history organizations and history profes-sionals, are letters of support sent to Save Historic Zoar and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. The message from history organizations and professionals should focus on the national significance

FROM YOUR CSA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

VOLUME 36 ISSUE 2 SUMMER, 2011 PAGE 3

Historic sites are fragile creatures. This is especially true of those sites where people live in and amongst the historic buildings. Do we treat them like other villages and cities? We need to take care to see that the historic fabric, the parts that made them unique, are protected. The village of Zoar, Ohio, is a case in point: today, its very existence is in peril. In 1929, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers came to town with a plan to eliminate flooding – not in Zoar, mind you, but in the southern part of Ohio, near the Ohio River. In my study of the Separatists, I never found an instance where Zoar had a flood during the time the Zoar Society was flourishing (1817 to 1898). Originally, the Corps’ grand plan was to just move the town to high-er ground, as they did with other near-by villages. “Whoa,” said the townsfolk, many either former Society members or their children, “not so fast. Some-thing important happened here and needs to be preserved.” Thus, began the historic preservation of Zoar. The compromise that was reached with the Corps was to construct an earthen levee around the town, pro-tecting it when the water of the nearby Tuscarawas River (part of the Ohio River system) was impounded by Dover Dam, a few miles downstream. The Levee led to the demolition a few of Zoar’s large industrial buildings, and, most importantly, cut off the view of the river and the Ohio & Erie Canal, but the residential portion remained. The Levee, large and imposing, did its job admirably for 70 years after it was completed in 1935 - except for one instance in 1969 during a huge summer-time flood. Then came the winter flood of January 2005. The frozen ground could not absorb water and the flood-

of Zoar – its buildings, culture and history. Letters and e-mails should be sent to Save Historic Zoar, P.O. Box 544, Zoar, Ohio 44697-0544, e-mail info@zca.org; and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington Dis-trict, 502 Eighth St. Huntington, W. Va. 25701-2070, zoarlevee@usace.army.mil (write “Zoar Comments” on the subject line). Additionally, a new website, www.savehistoriczoar.org, is available to get up-to-date information about the study and the effort to preserve Zoar. It is essential that we take this threat seriously and act to save Zoar - an im-portant historical and cultural asset for our nation. As many of you know, Zoar is near and dear to my heart, having spent 29 years working there. I thank you in advance for your engagement and support.

Zoar Number One House (1835)

CENTER FOR COMMUNAL

STUDIES RECEIVES HILOH

COMMUNITY ARCHIVES

The Center for Communal Studies has recently received the archives of the Shiloh Community in Sulphur Springs, Arkansas. Founded in Sherman, New York in 1942, the community was an early pioneer in organically grown foods. Through their brand name Shiloh Farms, their products were shipped nationwide. At its height, the com-munity numbered over 100 persons, but today only two live on the prop-erty. In June, Don Janzen spent four days at the community and collected five filing cabinet drawers of material con-sisting of photographs, community correspondence and publications, internal documents and memoran-dums, newspaper articles, and mem-bership lists and applications. This collection is truly remarkable and plans are underway to incorpo-rate this material into a book on the community.

VOLUME 36 ISSUE 2 SUMMER, 2011 PAGE 4

Communal News

BOOK NOTES

Longtime communal scholar and CSA founder Don Pitzer has collabo-rated with photographer Darryl D. Jones to produce a stunning tribute to New Harmony. Titled New Harmony Then & Now and published by the Uni-versity of Indiana Press, the book is a photographic and historic celebration

of two of the nation’s great Utopian communities. The Harmonists started by Georg Rapp, labored to provide physical, intellectual, and spiritual wealth for its members. Ten years later, the Owenites founded by Rover Owen and his partner William Maclure, settled there, intent on im-proving humanity through innovations in social theory, educational systems, and discoveries in natural science. Though Owen’s communal experi-ment would not endure, a new social frontier prospered. Today, New Har-mony remains a haven or promise, a village that honors its progressive heart. Intellectuals as well as artisans are drawn to this place of science and spirit. The book is 144 pages long and contains Pitzer’s new historical ac-count of the community, a bibliog-raphy, index, 48 historic images and 120 color photographs by Darryl Jones in a 10 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch format. New Harmony Then and Now is scheduled for release just prior to the CSA conference this fall. The book will be available at the conference. Infor-mation about it may be accessed at www.iupress.indiana.edu, and prepubli-cation orders placed by email at iuporder@indiana.edu.

FACEBOOK

The times they are a changing, and so is the way that the CSA communi-cates. Following the lead of past pres-ident Lynn Rainard, the CSA has launched a Facebook page! The Com-munal Studies Association page can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Communal-Studies Associa-tion/109993645753235. Or better yet, go to our home page and click on the Face-book logo. The Board hopes to utilize this page in the future to help our members stay informed and in con-tact throughout the year. Facebook joins a whole list of new tools in the CSA cyber toolkit, including Con-stant Contact and our new webpage. Please share our Facebook page with your own Facebook friends and col-leagues. Remember, this page will only be as effective with Friends. Many other communal groups, both past and historic, have Facebook pages of their own. These pages are a great way to keep up with new pro-grams, new projects and other items of interest. Here are a few that we are aware of. If you have any to add, please notify our Facebook manager, Peter Hoehnle, at phoehnle@southslope.net.

Old Economy Village

Sabbathday Lake Shaker Museum

Oneida Community

Mansion House

Historic New Harmony

Zoar Community Association

Historic Ephrata Cloister

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill

Friends of the Shakers

Hancock Shaker Village

Amana Heritage Society

HISTORIC HARMONY

PRESENTS AWARDS

Historic Harmony presented awards, honored volunteers and rec-ognized former board members dur-ing its Harmoniefest dinner and annual meeting on February 12, concluding with a program of 19th century music as American Civil War sesquicenten-nial observances begin. Harmoniefest proceeds benefit the organization’s Harmony Museum op-erations, which include eight historic sites. German Lutheran Separatists founded Harmony at the end of 1804 and commemorated their communal Harmony Society each February with a feast called Harmoniefest. Historic Harmony’s annual program celebrates a remarkable area history spanning more than 250 years. Among the awards presented was a Heritage Award to Robert and Susan Franz, for restoration and adaptive reuse of their 1807 Harmony Society Store Building, 534 Main St., Harmony and to Robert Franz, for his dedica-tion to preserva-tion of, and edu-cating the public about, log struc-tures of early settlers. President John Ruch described the Heritage Award presented to the Franzes for their Harmonist Store building as "one that has been espe-cially anticipated for a long time be-cause of its extraordinary importance to Harmony, historically and economi-cally...the most important Harmony restoration of the past two decades." He commented that "the 101 Heritage Awards and 11 Commendations pre-sented by Historic Harmony since 1991 reflect the importance of site preservation and local history to the area’s economy and quality of life." Designation of the Harmony Na-tional Historic Landmark District, Pennsylvania’s first outside Philadelph-ia, reflects the Harmony Society set-tlement’s significance to national herit-age and culture.

Harmony Store

CALENDAR OF EVENTSCALENDAR OF EVENTSCALENDAR OF EVENTS

VOLUME 36 ISSUE 2 SUMMER, 2011 PAGE 5

August 19 - 21 Clay and Fiber Fest, Bishop Hill, Illinois 19 - 21 Kindling Stone Concert, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester, Maine 20 Pie & Ice Cream Social, Bishop Hill Heritage Association, Bishop Hill, Ill. 20 Family Day, Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata, Pennsylvania 20 German Dinner, Harmony Museum, Harmony, Pennsylvania 27 Laugh, Sing, Dance, Learn! (Swedish ring dance workshop), Bishop Hill, Illinois 27 Fundraising Auction, Canterbury Shaker Village 28 Gertrude Rapp's Birthday Celebration Ice Cream Social, Old Economy Village, Ambridge, Pennsylvania September 10 Founders' Day, Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata, Pennsylvania 10 - 11 Fall Harvest Craft Fair, Shaker Heritage Society, Watervliet Shaker Village, Albany, New York 12 The Eighth Annual Mansion House Classic Golf Tournament, Oneida Community Golf Club, Oneida, New York 17 Celebrate Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: Auction and Dinner, Aurora Colony Historical Society, Aurora, Oregon 17 Wool Day, Canterbury Shaker Village 17 Peace Conference, Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield, Massachusetts 17 - 18 Kunstfest, Historic New Harmony, New Harmony, Indiana 22 Conference: The Power of Forgiveness: Lessons from Nickel Mines, Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies,

Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, Pa 23 - 25 Shaker Crafts Weekend, Enfield Shaker Museum 24 HarvestFest, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky September 24 - 25 Erntefest, Old Economy Village, Ambridge, Pennsylvania 24 - 25 Country Fair, Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield, Massachusetts 24 - 25 Apple Saturday, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester, Maine 24 - 25 Music in the Barn, South Union Shaker Village 29 - Oct. 1 Communal Studies Association Conference, South Union Shaker Village October 1 Apple Saturday, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester, Maine 1 Volunteer Work Day at Shaker Village, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky 1 Harvest Festival, Enfield Shaker Museum 7 - 8 Day of Music and Apple Dumpling Sales, Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata, Pa 8 German Dinner, Harmony Museum, Harmony, Pennsylvania 8 Oktoberfest, Old Economy Village, Ambridge, Pennsylvania 8 Apple Saturday, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester, Maine 14 - 15 Mysterious, Melancholy and Macabre: Stories from Early Lancaster County, Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata, Pennsylvania 14 - 23 "Bountiful Oregon" 39th Annual Quilt Show, Old Aurora Colony Museum, Aurora, Oregon 21 Community Days School Program, Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata, Pa 21 - 23 Perilous Times: A Living History Event, South Union Shaker Village 22, 29 Halloween Ghostly Gathering, Historic Rugby, Tennessee November 4 Taste of the Upper Valley, Enfield Shaker Museum 12 Vintage RV Show, Koreshan State Historic Site, Estero, Florida 12 - 13 Weinachtsmarkt German Style Christmas Market, Harmony Museum, Harmony, Pennsylvania 22 Kirtland Community Thanksgiving Service, Kirtland Temple. Kirtland, Ohio 25 Thanksgiving Marketplace, Historic Rugby, Tennessee 26 5 K Race for History, Old Economy Village, Ambridge, Pennsylvania December 1 - 31 Festival of Trees, Enfield Shaker Museum 2 -3 Glimpse of Amana's Christmas Past, Amana Heritage Museum, Amana, IA 3 Christmas at Historic Rugby, Historic Rugby, Tennessee 3, 10 Christmas at Canterbury, Canterbury Shaker Village 3 Shaker Christmas Fair, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester, Me 3 Christmas at Shakertown Holiday Market, South Union Shaker Village 3 The Simple Gifts of Christmas, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky 4 Christmas Fund Raising Dinner, Old Economy Village, Ambridge, Pa 4 - 5 Christmas in New Harmony, Historic New Harmony, New Harmony, Ind 10 Victorian Holiday Home Tour, Historic Rugby, Tennessee 10 Holiday Ball, Historic New Harmony, New Harmony, Indiana 11 Candlelight Christmas Dinner, Harmony Museum, Harmony, Pa 12 - 13 Christmas at the Cloister, Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata, Pennsylvania 18 Christmas Hymn Festival, Kirtland Temple, Kirtland, Ohio 24 Christmas Eve Service, Kirtland Temple, Kirtland, Ohio 27 - 30 Lantern Tours, Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata, Pennsylvania 31 Silvester New Year's Eve Celebration, Harmony Museum, Harmony, Pa

Between 1807 and 1922 a communal reli-gious sect called the Shakers occupied a six thousand acre farm in southern Kentucky. Within the confines of this vast plantation, the group constructed a village that boasted over two hundred buildings, including mas-sive dormitories, subsidiary shops and out-buildings, barns and stables, and a mill com-plex that was unequaled in the region. The Shakers called their village South Union. The strict lifestyle of the Shakers involved communal living, celibacy, withdrawal from

the “world,” and an emphasis on simplicity and perfection in all things. The South Un-ion Shakers were quite successful in their communal experiment, gathering a popula-tion of 350 by the late 1820’s, establishing successful industries, and reaching a peak level of economic prosperity prior to the Civil War. A declining membership and post-war economic problems led to the closing of the South Union community in 1922. By 1920 the South Union Shakers had be-gun to sell their material possessions; furni-ture, household items, textiles, and tools they had produced and used throughout the

19th century. A series of public auctions at South Union, well-attended by the citizens of southern Kentucky, precipitated the dis-tribution of a wealth of valuable historic arti-facts between 1920 and 1922. It was not until the late 1950’s, however, that efforts were made to actively collect and preserve the material culture of the South Union Shaker settlement. The South Union collection that exists to-day was born in the Auburn, Kentucky, home of Mrs. Curry Hall. Because of an in-terest in the preservation of Shaker heritage in Kentucky, Mrs. Hall began to collect Shak-er furniture in the 1950’s, until her collec-tion became so large that she decided to open a museum in an abandoned church building near the Hall residence. In 1960, the doors of the first Shaker Museum were opened to the public. Because of tremendous community and statewide support, a non-profit organization known as “Shakertown Revisited, Inc.” was formed in 1965. The group hosted a sum-mer Shaker Festival and an outdoor drama to promote the development of the muse-um, eventually raising the funds necessary to

HISTORIC COMMUNITY PROFILE

South Union, KentuckySouth Union, Kentucky

West House in 1885

Trustees Office in late 19th century

purchase two original Shaker buildings at the South Union historic site. The collection moved to its present location, the historic site of the South Union Shaker Village, in 1972. Volunteers continued to operate the museum until 1986 when a full-time paid museum director was hired. In the years since, full-time staff positions have been cre-ated for an operations manager, a guest ser-vices manager, and a maintenance supervi-sor.

Today “Shakertown Revisited, Inc.” owns seven of the remaining nine original village structures and nearly five hundred acres of

land. The 1824 Centre Family Dwelling House, a four story, forty-two room former Shaker dormitory, houses one of the largest and finest collections of Shaker artifacts in the United States. The 1835 Smoke and Milk House stands behind the Centre Dwelling and exhibits a collection of workshop equip-ment made and used by the Shakers. The 1869 Shaker Tavern, a hotel built by the Shakers for railroad travelers, is open as a bed and breakfast. The 1847 Steam House was opened to the public in 1998 and the 1846 Ministry Shop restoration was complet-ed in 2003. In 2010 the 1875 Grain Barn was unveiled after a $500,000.00 restoration. The South Union cemetery, after years of desecration, was restored and properly me-morialized in 2011. Community involvement and volunteer ef-forts have been the key to preservation at South Union. Support continues today from across the United States. The acquisition of original Shaker farmland, funded by private contributions and grants, allows the museum to earn income from farm lease agreements. The establishment of two endowment funds, one for operational costs and the other for the acquisition of artifacts for the museum collection, helps to ensure the future of the South Union Shaker Village. —Tommy Hines Shaker Village of South Union

1835 Smoke and Milk House

1818 Meeting House Foundation

South Union Cemetery

VOLUME 36 ISSUE 2 SUMMER, 2011 PAGE 9

Communal Studies Association

REGISTRATION FORM

2011 CONFERENCE

Hosted by the Shaker Museum at South Union

Auburn, Kentucky

September 29-October 1, 2011

Name (will be on badge unless indicated otherwise)_________________________________________

Institution __________________________________________________________________________ Preferred mailing address _____________________________________________________________ City________________________________State _________ Zip ______________________________ E-mail_______________________________________ Phone ______/__________________________

Registration fee _____$100 CSA, FIC, or South Union member before 9/1; $120 after _____$110 non-member before 9/1; $130 after _____$65 graduate student/spouse/current communitarian before 9/1; $75 after _____$55 one-day registration before 9/1; $65 after _____$15 undergraduate student

Meals _____$40Thurs 9/29 dinner ____check if vegetarian _____$10 Fri. 9/30 lunch _____$25 Fri. 9/30 dinner _____$15 Sat. 10/1 lunch _____$40 Sat. 10/1 dinner Pre-conference tour (9/29) _____ $20 Archiving Workshop (includes lunch)

Post-conference tour (10/2-3) _____$110 double occupancy Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill _____ $160 single occupancy

(includes meals; you must provide your own transportation to Harrodsburg, Kentucky) CSA Membership for 2012 ____Regular $50 ____Friend $200 - (year begins Jan. 1, 2012) ____Outside N. America $60 ____Lifetime $600

____Sustaining $100 ____Institutional $90 ____Student $20 ____Retired $40 ____Couples $75 ____Community member $20

Contribution to CSA Endowment $__________

Total __________________________

Payment method: _____ my check, payable to CSA, is enclosed _____ credit card Type ____________________

Number _________________________________________ Exp. _________

Signature ______________________________________________________

Send to: Kathleen M. Fernandez, CSA, 221 18th St. NW, Canton, OH 44703, 330/456-3611 (after 1 p.m. EDT)

REGISTRATION DEADLINE is September 15 TO GUARANTEE MEALS.

Preliminary Program available on CSA website: www.communalstudies.com

In June 2010, about 130 members of the International Commu-nal Studies Association met at Emek Yesreel College in Galilee for the tenth triennial conference. Unfortunately, I was the only American CSA member attend-ing. That was awkward, because this meeting marked the twenty-fifth anniver-sary of the founding of ICSA in Israel, sacred soil for most of the world’s popu-lation. One of the two founders, our revered Kibbutznik CSA member, Yaa-kov Oved, was there, and lamented the absence of American CSA members, especially his American co-founder, Don Pitzer, whose name was mentioned sev-eral times. I do know that at least one or two CSA members avoided the confer-ence because of their pro-Palestinian sympathies. Fortunately, Don had writ-ten an eloquent letter expressing his regret at not being able to attend, and the conference leader, Michal Palgi, read the entire letter at the beginning of our first plenary session. There was strong applause from the Israeli-dominated attendees. Back in 1985 we traveled to Israel as the National Historic Communal Studies Association, and we came back a differ-ent organization—less nationally minded. We changed our name to the CSA, and there was even talk of an eventual mer-ger with ICSA. But that never happened, and to my regret I heard some com-ments at the conference indicating that ICSA should go its own way. But ICSA will never isolate itself under its ecumenical new president, Jan Martin Bang. Jan has done extraordinary work in ecovillages and communities in general. His leadership will be very important as the ICSA faces the challenges of increas-ing income, maintaining a website, and publishing conference results. He is ea-ger to have ICSA work with other or-ganizations involved with communitarian studies, like the CSA and the Utopian Studies Association. The post-conference tours revealed much about the conflicts of the Middle East and their effect on the Kibbutz movement. Many Kibbutzim have privat-

ized and all face economic problems, like care of the elderly. But the movement is not dead. Two of the new, urban, Arab-friendly Kibbutzim we visited had all the youthful membership, zeal, hope, and suc-cess of the early communities. Two highlights of the tour were, first, living on the Kibbutz Mizra, I witnessed a large number of ten-year-old Jewish, Mus-lim, and some Christian children, all from the neighboring city of Nazareth, peacefully having fun together at the “swim camp” held at Mizra’s big outdoor pool. I saw hope for the future in that happy group. The second high point was our visit to Sachnin, a mostly Arab city of about 30,000 inhabitants. There, in a former military outpost overlooking the city, we met with the two leaders of Kibbutz Eshbal—a man and a woman in their twenties. They de-scribed their non-traditional Kibbutz work in education and social work in the city. And of course there were timeless sites like Nazareth, Cana, and many others. How sad that of the dozen countries represented, the USA was the least visible. Interested members of the CSA should look into ICSA-2013, which will be held at the Findhorn Foundation in northern Scot-land. For more information, see Bill Metcalf’s two thorough reports on ICSA 2010: one in ICSA Bulletin #45 (November 2010), and the other in Communities magazine (Spring 2010):62-65.

VOLUME 36 ISSUE 2 SUMMER, 2011 PAGE 9

Report: 2010 ICSA Conference in Israel By Mario S. De Pillis

Shabbat ceremony at Kibbutz Mish'ol, in the city of Migdal Ha'Emek. Bill Metcalf is second from left.

Old Economy Opens New Textile Exhibit The Friends of Old Economy are pleased to announce the opening of a new and permanent: 19th Century Textile Manufacturing Display It is no longer necessary to travel to Connecticut, Massachusetts or Virgin-ia to see a comprehensive representa-tion of textile manufacturing. Textile manufacturing was a major industry of the Harmonist Society with 27 pro-duction looms operating at this site driven by a single steam engine. We have almost 500 square feet of display area showing period equipment set up in a typical production sequence de-picting the “sheep to shawl” process. The heart of the Har-mony Society's home from 1824 until the com-mune was dissolved in 1905; Old Economy Village is owned by the state of Pennsylvania and operated by the PHMC. The village is part of Am-bridge's Old Economy National His-toric Landmark District, and is among the region's most important historic sites. Friends of Old Economy licens-ing agreement with the PHMC enables the nonprofit to assume responsibility for all tours and special events. The pacifist Separatists, led by George Rapp, left the Stuttgart area to escape militarism and enjoy reli-gious freedom independent of state control. In 1804 they founded Harmo-ny in Butler County, where they orga-nized as the communal Harmony Soci-ety and, in 1807, adopted celibacy. They left in 1814 for Indiana Territo-ry, to build what is now New Harmo-ny in southwest Indiana. They re-turned 10 years later to settle what they called Economy, now Ambridge, only 22 miles from their first Ameri-can home at Harmony. Both sites will host the 2013 CSA Conference.

VOLUME 36 ISSUE 2 SUMMER, 2011 PAGE 10

“Communique” The newsletter of the Commu-nal Studies Association, P.O. Box 122, Amana, IA 52203, E-mail CSA@netins.net,

www.communalstudies.info. Send news items to Peter

Hoehnle, Editor, phoehnle@southslope.net

tucky (addressing the unique position of the state with strong ties to both the North and South in the Civil War con-flict). Museum admission is a mere $5.

Immediately following the conference, the CSA will offer a packaged excursion to South Union’s sister Shaker village in Kentucky, Pleasant Hill. The excursion does not include transportation to/from the village, so it is suggested those who desire this option utilize the Louisville airport (approximately 75 mins. from Pleasant Hill) for convenience of return travel. The Pleasant Hill post-conference event will include dinner and lodging within the village on Sunday evening, followed by Monday breakfast along with a specialized “behind the scenes” tour of the community designed for CSA mem-bers. Details and pricing on the post-conference tour are available on the conference registration forms. We look forward to seeing everyone at the fall conference, as we have a ro-bust program of varied topics of interest to the entire CSA membership. The venue will be relaxing in such a charm-ing, pastoral setting of the South Union site, which will be a wonderful setting to renew friendships and enjoy the commu-nity that the CSA offers all participants.

South Union continued from page 1

South Union Shakers in 1885

Centre Family Wash House

Communal Sites Nearby

There are several sites related to communal living, past and present, with-in 3 hours of the conference. With a little planning and a sense of adventure, a visit to one of these sites, before or afterwards, may prove to be a nice addi-tion to your conference experience.

The Abbey of Gethsemani – Trappist, KY Founded in 1848, the Abbey of Geth-semani continues to be an active monas-tery in the heart of Kentucky. Approx-imately 40 monks live in the Abbey and visitors are encouraged. Perhaps the most noted resident was Thomas Mer-ton, poet, social activist, and compara-tive religion scholar. The monastery is approximately 90 minutes from South Union. See http://www.monks.org/ .

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill – Harrodsburg, KY Founded in 1905, the Pleasant Hill Shak-er village was the “big sister” to South Union. Pleasant Hill continues today as a complete Shaker museum, including lodging and significant programming. Pleasant Hill is approximately 2 hours and a half from South Union. There is a formal post-conference excursion to Pleasant Hill. (See the CSA conference registration website.) Website http://www.shakervillageky.org/ .

Historic Rugby Village– Rugby, TN Founded in 1880 by Thomas Hughes, British social reformer, Rugby was a cooperative community originally de-signed for younger sons of English gen-try who desired to begin a new live in the United States. At least 25 original structures of the original 300 still re-main in this quaint village. Rugby is ap-proximately 2 hours and 45 minutes from South Union. For more see http://www.historicrugby.org/ .

Mammoth Cave – Mammoth Cave, KY Though not a European communal site, Mammoth Cave does have connections with pre-historic communal factions as the underground network was utilized by Native American community group-ings significantly prior to the arrival of explorers from the Old World. Mam-moth Cave is approximately 50 minutes from South Union. For information, see http://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm .

Amana Milestone For over a century, Amana’s religious forebears sought refuge in the Ronneburg Castle and in the three small villages located at the base of the hill on which it stands. These villages are collec-tively known as the Ronneburg Community and are in the pro-cess of celebrating the 775th year during 2011. To mark the occa-sion, as well as the long standing relationship with the Amana people, the community has re-named the road leading to the castle as Amana Stasse (Amana Street). A special unveiling of a new road sign occurred in June when a large tour group, sponsored by the Amana Heritage Society, visited the area. The formal un-veiling will be on September 11, with representatives from the Amana Church Society and Amana Society, Inc. present. A special Inspirationist church ser-vice will be held as part of the September occasion, and will occur in the room used by the Inspirationists for worship ser-vices while they lived at the cas-tle. In order to reciprocate this very meaningful gesture, the Amana community has renamed the street in front of the Amana Church “Ronneburger Weg” (Ronneburg Way). Amana residents also plan on planting a special grove of trees in the community park as a symbol of this centuries-long friendship.

PAGE 11 VOLUME 36 ISSUE 2 SUMMER, 2011

About four years ago, I was in-troduced to the Communal Studies Association by my good friend, and my son’s former godmother, Elena Broslovsky. In the 1970s, I had put my heart and soul into the dream that was Peoples Temple and Jonestown and I suffered an almost unsurvivable trauma – the death of my 913 friends and my dreams in Jonestown, Guyana. Amazingly, I survived and returned to the Unit-ed States in November 1978. About a year later, I realized that I had to take a drastic step to get through the trauma. I moved into another community, Synanon, and lived there for ten years. I married, adopted my wonderful son, and made wonderful friends, including Elena. Between 1990 and 1998, I was no longer in Synanon and I worked to put my life together. I went back to school and earned my BA and my Clear California Teaching Cre-dential. I reconnected with my fellow Peoples Temple survivors during the 20th anniversary, in 1998. By that time, I had some stability in my life. I had been married 16 years, my son was doing well, I was teach-ing in a bilingual classroom, and I was ready. I did many public speak-ing events, and wrote articles about my experience of surviving. I was on the Speakers’ List of the Jonestown Institute. My speaking engagements were always tearful but I continued, knowing that I had experienced something that needed further articulation. There were not many survivors, and most were reluctant to go public. I just kept moving forward. In 2008, I started writing the book that many people had encour-aged me to write. Elena and I re-connected and she introduced me to the Communal Studies Associa-

tion, the annual CSA Conference, and her friends. She encouraged me to make a presentation. I wrote and presented “Seeing the Faces” to introduce a few of my fellow Peoples Temple loved ones. I have presented at the Conference every year since then, and have another presentation ready to go this September in Auburn, Ken-tucky. It is a wonderful group where I can share my experiences in communi-ties of Peo-ples Temple and Synan-on. In early 2009, I went ahead with my book and self-published it in March 2010. Last month, I pub-lished it on Kindle. Today, I found I am the number 24 Best Seller in Social Scientists & Psychologists, on Amazon.com Kindle. I have had quite a journey over these past thirty-three years. Please see this notice (R) about the Intentional Communities Con-ference we plan to hold in Septem-ber this year. I am hoping you will be able to distribute this notice via your community newsletter, notice board or members’ webpage.

Jonestown Survivor: An Insider’s Look By Laura Johnston Kohl

Laura with friend and fellow Jones-town survivor, Janet Shular at the 2010 CSA Conference at New Harmony.

Bundagen Community Intentional Communi-

ties Conference Celebrating the Past; Embracing the Future

September 23-25, 2011

You are invited to Bundagen, Australia to share experiences and knowledge, to discuss areas of common interest and to net-work. Beyond talking there will be music, dancing and maybe a con-cert or skit night with different communities performing. There will be morning yoga sessions, some kids’ activities, volleyball and an art exhibition as well as great dinners and interesting speakers. Following the confer-ence, a few days of further com-munity related activities have been organized. Registration fee of $100 per adult will include the community camping fee. The community invites ex-pressions of interest, by email, so we can find out what you would like to be involved in (perhaps a panel or an amazing act for skit night). For more information, visit their webpage www.bundagen.com.au or con-ference@bundagen.com.au

Bundagen Community

P. O. Box 122

Amana, IA 52203

Phone: 319-622-6446

Fax: 319-622-6446

E-mail: info@communalstudies.org

www.communalstudies.org

COMMUNIQUÉ

The Communal Studies

Association Newsletter

Address Service Requested

CSA Membership PLEASE PASS THIS FORM ON TO A FRIEND OR COLLEAGUE — ENCOURAGE THEM TO JOIN CSA! ____Regular, $50 _____Lifetime, $600 _____Outside North America, $60 _____Institutional, $90 _____Couples, $75 _____Student $20 _____Sustaining, $100 _____Retired, $40 _____Friend $200 _____Community Member $20 Please send this membership form and check payable (U. S. Funds only) to:

Communal Studies Association P.O. Box 122

Amana, Iowa 52203

Name___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Institution________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City___________________________________ State______________ Zip____________________________________________________ E-mail address_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Communal interests (list no more than two for inclusion in Membership Directory)__________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______If you do not want to be included in the Membership Directory, please indicate by checking here. _______Along with my membership, I wish to make a donation of $ ___________to CSA.

South Union Conference

SEPT. 29-OCT. 1, 2011 See page 1 for details