Excerpts of Teutonia References

Excerpted from "History of American Socialism", by John Humphrey Noyes, Hillary House Publishing, NY 1961, p. 252

"The 'Phalanx', in its first number {October 1, 1843}, announced this experiment among many others in the following terms: 'There is a large association of Germans in McKean County, Pennsylvania, commenced by the Rev. George Ginal of Philadelphia. They own a very extensive tract of land, over 30,000 acres we are informed, and are progressing prosperously. The shares, which were originally $100, have been sold and are now held at $200 or more.' This is the first and the last we hear of Rev. George Ginal and his 30,000 acres." (ed. note: Should read Rev. Adam Heinrich Ginal; also, the 'Phalanx' was the in-house organ of the American Fourierist movement)

JE Henretta, in his "Kane and the Upper Allegheny", notes:

"In 1841(sic) covered wagons carried a colony of Germans from Philadelphia over the New York to Olean Road. Their destination was SE McKean County. The road, particularly after leaving Olean, was rough and the journey was long, but the company was enthusiastic for they held high hopes for a prosperous settlement. True to their German training, they had their work carefully planned. Each family had contributed $50 (sic--$100) to furnish the capital needed for the new enterprise".

Beers, in his 1890 history of McKean, Potter, Elk and Cameron Counties, writes:

"Teutonia dates back to March 1843, when the Society of Industry (Henry Ginal,agent) established the town four miles west of Ginalsburg (sic--one mile SE of Ginalsburg). The principles of this society varied a little from the older Fourier system. The capital was $40,000, the acreage 40,000,including the coal hills. In the year named there were 450 inhabitants, a school-building and 70 or 80 log dwellings. This community divided their purchase into several districts, in each of which a town was projected. Clothing and food were distributed from the commercial store, married women were not compelled to work for the community, and all religious forms were tolerated. At Ginalsburg there were then 100 inhabitants. A stone school-house, a steam saw mill, a pottery and a furnace were projected. The dwellings were frame buildings. In 1875, when Mr. John Forrest went to Clermont as paymaster for the Buffalo Coal Company, there were remains of the houses. It was a communal affair, which, like most of that class, fell to pieces. Ginalsburg is also a town of the past."

The December 10, 1886 issue of the McKean County Miner, printed the following:

"On December 10, 1845(sic---1843) a large band of German immigrants from Philadelphia began building a town in Sertgeant Township near what is today's village of Clermont. The plan was 'communistic' in type, 'owning all things together'., and the active governing body worked on that idea, share and share alike. Some 400 German families made the trek, from 1837 on through the years. They cleared a large amount of land and built their town which they named "Teutonia". The site had substantially-built log houses and regularly laid-out streets. It had a markethouse, a community store, and all such buildings as necessary for industrial establishments as carried out under their community government system. In 1846, some mebbers became disgruntled with the system, and began to leave the area; and a great many families moved westward. Remaining settlers mad eregular claims for the land, and began making individual farms in the valley, later working in the coal mining industry nearby.The name ":Teutonia" gradually fell intodisuse, and ":Bunker Hill was predominate for a long tome until it too was changed in 1875 to the name still used today, Clermont"ed note: Bunker Hill preceded Teutonia by app 20 years, and was two miles east northeast of Teutonia.

The late Clermont historian Wendell Anderson wrote:

"Your note mentions German colonies in the area. Dad told me that the early name of Clermont was Teutonia and he once pointed out to me some old stone foundations of the early settlers' houses about a half mile out the old Shawmut railroad grade toward St Marys --on the left hand side. I was always under the impression that this was the site of Teutonia."

Socialism and American Life, Egbert and Perosns, p. 180

"Several dozen colonies were planted between 1842 and 1845, and nearly all were killed in the sprout. Other experiments in Western New York and in the mountains of Northern Pennsylvania had the same land mania, debt and title problems, and quarrels, and broke up usually after the first summer."

Communist and Cooperative Colonies, Gide, p. 129

"Fourierist colonies sprang up in other parts of the US; 33 of them have been counted, but there were certainly many more than that. It must be owned that of these 33, a large number did not last even a year; they were fires of straw, extinguished almost as soon as ther were lighted."

Utopias and Utopian Thought, Manuel, p. 186

"With notable exceptions, like Brook Farm, most earlier communities had chosen sites west of Central New York and Pennsylvania, and East of the Mississippi. These newly-opened regions provided inexpensive, readily available land."

Where Angels Dared to Tread, Calverton, p. 172

"When they dissolved, it was become some individual or individuals among them grew avaricious and disrupted the oganization, or because the young people resented the discipline and restriction necessary to that way of life. They did not fail because they were communistic. The reverse was the case. They succeeded in building up more prosperous groups than those founded by the individualistic, 'devil-take-the-hindmost' settlers, and many of their communities were shining examples of efficiency, thrift, and sound economic planning."

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