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5-2015
Brook Farm: A Ceramic Analysis of a Short Lived
Utopia
Samantha A. Savory
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
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BROOK FARM: A CERAMIC ANALYSIS OF A SHORT LIVED UTOPIA
A Thesis
Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies and Research
in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
Master of Arts
Samantha A. Savory
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
May 2015
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
School of Graduate Studies and Research
Department of Anthropology
We hereby approve the thesis of
Samantha A. Savory
Candidate for the degree of Master of Arts
Benjamin L. Ford, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Anthropology, Advisor
Phillip Neusius, Ph.D.
Professor of Anthropology
Ellen Berkland, M.A.
Archaeologist
Massachusetts Department of Recreation and
Conservation
Joseph Bagley, M.A.
City of Boston , Archaeologist
ACCEPTED
Randy L. Martin, Ph.D.
Dean
School of Graduate Studies and Research
ii
Title: Brook Farm: A Ceramic Analysis of a Short Lived Utopia
Author: Samantha A. Savory
Thesis Chair: Dr. Benjamin L. Ford
Thesis Committee Members: Dr. Phillip Neusius
Ms. Ellen Berkland
Mr. Joseph Bagely
This research focuses on the ceramics from the Brook Farm site to determine if the
assemblage of a utopian communal site is different from a non-utopian site. Brook Farm was a
community in Massachusetts established in 1841 and ending in 1847. Brook Farm was an
experiment in social reconstruction designed to reunite man and nature in a communal and
agricultural community inspired by transcendentalism. In 1844 Brook Farm officially adopted a
new social reform theory, Fourierism, which incorporated the industrialization occurring in New
England at the time. Consumer choice theory helped to guide the research to determine if the
ceramic assemblage is unique, based on what ceramics were chosen by members to be at the site.
There was an intra-site comparison between two areas in Brook Farm, the Eyrie and the Cottage,
as well as a comparison to an urban site in the Tremont Street Housing site.
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Ford, Dr. Phil, Ellen Berkland and Joe
Bagely without them I would not have been able to complete this research. Thank you to Dr.
Ford for continuously keeping me on track when it was so easy to stay in my room and only
think about writing my thesis.
Thank you to Joe for being there when I needed a topic for this thesis he definitely gave
me options. It was nice to have someone continuously be as excited as I was that the Brook
Farm site was being worked on.
Thank you to Ellen for agree to be part of this project with me before even meeting me!
I would like to thank my wonderful boyfriend Randy Marcotte for being with me every
step of the way. Graduate school kept us separated for the better part of two years and he was
constantly helping me through. He constantly listened to my stresses and helped me with my
day. I also want to send my apologies for all my awful moods while at home and stressing over
all the problems with my collections and my thesis. He had no idea what I was talking about but
always made me laugh and allowed my stress to float away. THANK YOU!!
Finally I need to say the deepest thanks to my Mom and Dad, without them I would have
never made it this far. From a young age I had thought of archaeology as a career, without even
knowing where it would lead. Many parents want their children to be doctors or businessmen, or
just people who are guaranteed to make a lot of money, they are probably kicking themselves but
they supported my choice to become an archaeologist; hardly guaranteed employment!. They
have done nothing but support me and allow me to follow my dreams. I love you guys! Thank
you!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
ONE INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................1
TWO SOCIAL BACKGROUND .........................................................................5
THREE BROOK FARM HISTORY ........................................................................19
FOUR ARCHAEOLOGY OF UTOPIA ................................................................31
FIVE THEORY AND METHOD.........................................................................37
SIX ANALYSIS .................................................................................................48
SEVEN DISCUSSION .............................................................................................64
REFERENCES CITED ..........................................................................................................73
APPENDICES .......................................................................................................................76
Appendix A: Cottage and Eyrie Ceramic Catalogue .................................76
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LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
1 Table of Mean Ceramic Dates for Each Unit and Level in the Cottage Used for
Analysis......................................................................................................................49
2 Table of Mean Ceramic Dates for Each Unit and Level in the Eyrie Used for
Analysis......................................................................................................................50
3 Obtained Vessel Count for Eyrie and Cottage ...........................................................56
4 Expected Vessel Count for Eyrie and Cottage ...........................................................56
5 Observed Sherd Count for the Eyrie and Cottage ......................................................57
6 Expected Sherd Count for the Eyrie and Cottage ......................................................67
7 Obtained Whiteware Sherd Count for Eyrie and Cottage ..........................................58
8 Expected Whiteware Sherd Count for Eyrie and Cottage .........................................58
9 Observed Whiteware Vessel Count for Eyrie and Cottage ........................................58
10 Expected Whiteware Vessel Count for Eyrie and Cottage ........................................58
11 Observed Vessel Count for Brook Farm and the Tremont Street Housing Site ........61
12 Expected Vessel Count for Brook Farm and the Tremont Street Housing Site.........62
13 Observed sherd count for Brook Farm and the Tremont Street Housing Site ...........62
14 Expected Sherd Count for Brook Farm and the Tremont Street Housing Site ..........62
15 Observed Whiteware Sherd Count for Brook Farm and the Tremont Street
Housing Site ..............................................................................................................63
16 Expected Whiteware Sherd Count for Brook Farm and the Tremont Street
Housing Site ..............................................................................................................63
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
1 Charles Fourier.............................................................................................................13
2 Albert Brisbane ............................................................................................................16
3 George Ripley ..............................................................................................................19
4 Historic map of Brook Farm .......................................................................................20
5 Painting depicting the Layout of the Brook Farm Institute of Agriculture and
Education. ....................................................................................................................22
6 Map of the Brook Farm site .........................................................................................26
7 Excavation transects for Eyrie .....................................................................................41
8 USGS map showing location of Brook Farm and Tremont Street Housing site .........43
9 Graph showing percentages of ceramics in the Cottage assemblage ...........................51
10 Percentages of ceramic ware type in Eyrie assemblage ...............................................52
11 Percentages of whiteware decoration in Eyrie .............................................................53
12 Percentages of Cottage whiteware decoration .............................................................54
13 Percentages of ceramic ware type in Tremont Street Housing assemblage .................60
14 Percentages of ceramic ware type in combined Brook Farm assemblage ...................60
15 Colander from Cottage, interior (Left) and exterior (Right) ........................................65
16 Whiteware jug rim from Eyrie .....................................................................................66
17 Re-fit handpainted floral rim .......................................................................................67
18 Blue transferprint whiteware from Cottage .................................................................67
19 Sample of undecorated whiteware, majority of Brook Farm assemblage ...................68
vii
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
This research is a ceramic analysis of the utopian community of Brook Farm to determine
if there is a difference between the utopian community and the non-utopian Tremont Street
Housing site. This site was a transcendental and Fourierist utopian community that began in
1841 and ended shortly after in 1847. This research discusses the social and economic factors
that lead the New England people to embrace a utopian ideal beginning in the mid-1800s. The
Cottage and Eyrie from Brook Farm were both houses that were used as boarding residences for
members as well as guests and classrooms for the school at Brook Farm. These two buildings
were compared as part of an intra-site comparison and then were combined to create one Brook
Farm assemblage to compare with the Tremont Street Housing Site.
Three questions guided this research.
What ceramics were the people of Brook Farm using?
There hasn’t been an analysis of the ceramics from Brook Farm and the only catalogues
in the Boston City Archaeology laboratory are incomplete. Determining which ceramic types
were recovered from Brook Farm made it possible to compare the Eyrie and the Cottage. This
also provided a larger assemblage, by combining the Eyrie and the Cottage to create one larger
Brook Farm site assemblage that could be compared to the Tremont Street Housing site.
How does the Cottage assemblage compare to the Eyrie assemblage?
These two buildings within Brook Farm were occupied and used for similar purposes,
education and boarding. The uses were similar but the people living at the residences were
different. Do the different residents produce a different assemblage?
1
How does the Brook Farm site assemblage compare to a non-utopian Tremont Street Housing
site assemblage?
The utopian society of Brook Farm was set apart from the rest of the Boston area. Are the
simple ideals set forth by the community reflected in the ceramic assemblage? Comparing the
Brook Farm assemblage to the Tremont Street Housing site will determine if the assemblages are
significantly different based on the people living at these sites.
Outline of the Thesis
Chapter Two will discuss the social and economic problems that were affecting New
England in the 1800s. The economic Panic of 1837 caused a sudden joblessness throughout
America (Delano 2004; McGrane 1965; Rouseau 2002). Educated men and women of New
England were increasingly reading European philosopher’s work just as the Panic of 1837
happened. The Transcendental Club, as it was known, was a large group of men and women that
discussed any and all topics that came to mind (Delano 2004). Largely open minded there were
many paths that were eventually taken by the members of this Transcendental Club. One of
which was the creation of Brook Farm by George Ripley. Fourierism was brought to America by
Albert Brisbane, a disciple of the French philosopher Charles Fourier, in the 1840s. This brought
a new utopian alternative to society allowing people a way out of the common economic
problems by moving into communal societies. Fourierism became part of Brook Farm and part
of America.
Chapter Three discusses the history of Brook Farm, from beginning to end. Brook Farm
was founded by George Ripley in 1841. The community began as a transcendental experiment
that focused on education and agriculture. Brook Farm became a haven for educated men and
women interested in living with nature. The community established the Brook Farm School for
2
