About this item
This true crime odyssey explores a forgotten, astonishing chapter of American history, leading the reader from a free-love community in upstate New York to the shocking assassination of President James Garfield.. It was heaven on earth - and, some whispered, the devil's garden. Thousands came by trains and carriages to see this new Eden, carved from hundreds of acres of wild woodland. They marveled at orchards bursting with fruit, thick herds of Ayrshire cattle and Cotswold sheep, and whizzing mills. They gaped at the people who lived in this place - especially the women, with their queer cropped hair and shamelessly short skirts. The men and women of this strange outpost worked and slept together - without sin, they claimed. From 1848 to 1881, a small utopian colony in upstate New York - the Oneida Community - was known for its shocking sexual practices, from open marriage and free love to the sexual training of young boys by older women.
About the Author
Susan Wels has written seventeen books, including The New York Times best-selling "Titanic: Legacy of the World's Greatest Ocean Liner," "California Academy of Sciences: Architecture in Harmony with Nature," and "Amelia Earhart: The Thrill of It." She is an author who specializes in history and an award-winning editor. She lives in San Francisco.
