Publications
Wilhelm Weitling’s Tour of American Communal Societies, 1851-1852
By Edited by Peter A. Hoehnle; Translated by Joscelyn Godwin
January 1, 2023
Tags American Communal Societies Series
American Communal Societies Series, no. 15. 100 pages with illustrations, 2030
ISBN: 978-1-937370-36-7 ($20)
German Socialist Wilhelm Weitling visited eight American intentional communities during 1851-1852. He published accounts of these visits in his newspaper, Die Republik der Arbeiter. These accounts have been almost entirely unknown to scholars, until now. This volume contains Joscelyn Godwin’s translations; introduced, annotated, and illustrated by Peter Hoehnle, bringing Weitling’s descriptions of his communal odyssey to students of American communal societies who cannot read German. Communities visited include: the Shakers at Watervliet, New York; the Community of True Inspiration at Eben-Ezer, New York; the Society of Separatists at Zoar, Ohio; Communia, Iowa; the Icarian Community at Nauvoo, Illinois; Bishop Hill Colony, Illinois; the Harmony Society at Economy, Pennsylvania; and Bethel, Missouri.
