Created by Katie Wagner on Mon, 03/18/2024 - 16:22
Description:
Pictured above is an oil painting of the infamous Brook Farm created by American artist Josiah Wolcott in 1846. The “Brook Farm”, located in Boston Massachusetts was 185 acres of land and home to one of the first communal living institutions. This farm was created as a transcendentalist experiment in 1841 by George Ripley. As a past Unitarian minister and a profound leader of the Transcendentalist Club, Ripley was known by many as a community activist. The Brook Farm was a unified living quarters that provided shelter, work, necessities, and education to members of the community who were seeking to dismiss the competition many humans placed with one another (Britannica). The goal of Brook Farms was to create a society of calamity and peace where individuals could thrive with the help of their neighbors. Ripley stated that “humans weren’t meant to only work but also think”. He knew that although working is inevitable and necessary, humans are not fulfilling their purpose on earth if they do not use their knowledge and experiences to better each other. Appreciating the world around them was the key understanding of transcendentalists during this time.
With around 120 residents, Brook Farm was funded by the sale of stock, specifically from the first ten who lived on the farm. It had cost about $500 (annually) per share for the top residents at Brooke Farm, however, for most of the others, it was a fee of $1 per day to live there with accommodations included. Although some residents were paying over $150 more per year than others, their responsibilities were similar as they worked together to maintain the farm (Brook Farm Historic Site). Although Brook Farm stayed open from 1841 to 1847, about five years after the initial opening, Ripley used their remaining funds to build a new addition to the farm. This building unfortunately burnt down shortly after its completion which led to the closing of the farm in late 1847.
Works Cited
“Brook Farm - Engraving.” 2009, Accessed 2024.
Brook Farm Historic Site, https://www.mass.gov/doc/brook-farm-brochure/download. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.
Gordon, Jessica. “American Transcendentalist Web.” Archive, archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/transcendentalism/ideas/brhistory.html. Accessed 17 Mar. 2024.
Lotha, Gloria. “Brook Farm.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 15 Aug. 2021, www.britannica.com/topic/Brook-Farm.