The Oneida Community

If you've ever heard of Oneida silverware, you might be astonished to learn that the firm that provides high-quality, reasonably priced silverware to the general public was founded by a polyamorous commune. Oneida flatware, which comes in a velvet box and is silver-plated, has been in use for many years. But before all of that, it was a Utopian society with more free love and less silver in circulation.

The commune, which got its start in 1848, was astonishingly progressive. Here, traditional gender norms were disregarded in favor of a far more egalitarian attitude to work and life, and women were not seen as second-class citizens. Members of the commune lacked any private property. Everyone contributed to the common welfare. Men and women both worked there. Nobody was more superior or useful. And at the end of the day, they thought that the best way to feel God's might was to engage in various acts of sex with numerous others.

So how does a group of people who think having plenty of sex will give them the Holy Spirit become a silverware company? Slowly. The commune engaged in a variety of activities to generate income, including the manufacture of animal traps and chain link. One of the members decided they could start producing spoons sometime in the 1870s. By the 1890s, they did nothing but it. The company survived while the commune perished. In reality, the brand is still in use today despite being sold in 2006 to a larger organization, so there is now considerably less affection in whatever cutlery you purchase.

• Country: USA