A Fire of Straw In Bureau County: The Forgotten Utopian Dream of Lamoille's Rosemont Domain

By Robert J. Glaser

The prairie of Bureau Co., Illinois in the 1840s could hardly be thought of as the location for a planned utopian settlement. This is especially true if the motivation for the effort was the complex and controversial writings of a French utopian socialist who never stepped foot on American soil, much less the prairies of northern Illinois. The elaborate doctrines of Charles Fournier would be imported and stimulate thousands of Americans to action – specifically some idealists residing in Bureau Co., Illinois.

The Lamoille [sic] Agricultural and Mechanical Association would have been the first such attempt in Bureau County and the State of Illinois and is a long-overlooked aspect of local and regional history. As the United States was facing critical decisions regarding its socio-economic development, the Fourierist movement offered a significant alternative to the eventual adoption of our current system of industrial-capitalism. In their own way, La Moille and Bureau County were part of that great debate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Oct 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781483456799

Book preview

A Fire of Straw in Bureau County

The Forgotten Utopian Dream of Lamoille’s Rosemont Domain

Robert J. Glaser

Copyright © 2016 Robert J. Glaser.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

Author’s note relative to the book’s title: The spelling of the village name, Lamoille, as used in the title of this book, is consistent with the spelling as it appears in the original State of Illinois incorporation act for the Lamoille Agricultural and Mechanical Association on March 6, 1843.

Cover design by [e-mail]. Used with permission.

Front cover photo by author. Used with permission.

Photo of author on back cover by Deborah A. Glaser Quinn. Used with permission.

Some material reprinted from The Utopian Alternative: Fourierism in Nineteenth-Century America, by Carl J. Guarneri. Copyright © 1991 by Cornell University. Used by permission of the publisher, Cornell University Press.

Some material reprinted from Backwoods Utopias, by Arthur Bestor. Copyright © 1970 by Univeristy of Pennsylvania Press. Used with permission of the University of Pennsylvania Press.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-5678-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-5679-9 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 09/07/2016

Contents

Illustrations

Preface

Introduction to a Dream

Diversity in Experimentation

Some Terms Defined

Charles Fourier, Scientific Utopian

Albert Brisbane, Fourierist Advocate

The Panic of 1837 and the Turbulent 1840s

The Slavery Issue in Bureau County, Illinois

Fourierism, Slavery and Abolition

Anti-Slavery Activism in Bureau County

The Lamoille Opportunity

Lamoille as Part of a Larger Mission?

Fourierism in Bureau County

The Incorporation of a Dream

Who Were These Incorporators?

A Plan and Prospectus Were Offered

A Failed Demonstration Model

Was It an Inherently Flawed Dream?

The Fourierist Legacy

Endnotes

Bibliography

To my family and all those

who have enriched my life.

Illustrations

Map of Bureau County, Illinois, with La Moille, Illinois

State of Illinois, County map

Charles Fourier

Daubigny Painting

Perspective View of Charles Fourier’s Phalanx

Albert Brisbane

Horace Greeley

Urban Life, New York City, 1900

Lamoille Association Incorporator – Timothy Edwards

Lamoille Association Incorporator – Samuel Edwards

Lamoille Association Incorporator – Dr. John Kendall

Lamoille Association Director – Justin H. Olds

Lamoille Association Director – Elisha Fassett

Preface

While researching the 19th century Galena Trail and Coach Road in Illinois, I happened upon an obscure reference mentioning a Bureau County Phalanx. Despite having lived in Bureau County and taught history there for many decades, this was a reference with which I was totally unfamiliar. Subsequent inquiry drew me increasingly into a seldom mentioned or explored byway of local Illinois history.

What began as a matter of simple curiosity soon took on a life of its own. It had been some 50 years since I had attempted such a substantial research project. In this particular case, I soon discovered that primary sources were very difficult to locate. It seemed evident that I would have to develop my research through a convergence of evidence approach. Bits and pieces of historical evidence would have to be carefully arranged as a method for trying to understand this fascinating event.

A project of this type seldom progresses on the efforts of the author alone. There have been many people who have generously contributed to my effort to understand this unique situation. My first now I understand moment was based on the research and support of Dr. Mark Lause, Professor of History at the University of Cincinnati. His was the essential clue that pointed me in the right direction. Neal Drummer of La Moille, Illinois willingly shared his encyclopedic knowledge of the history and lore of the community. Beth Woodard, Director of the Reference Library, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, enabled me to gain access to the invaluable personal research papers of scholar Arthur Bestor.

Independent researcher, Ginger Frere, saved me many miles and much expense by researching special collections of papers at the Chicago History Museum and the Newberry Library. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library staff was most patient in assisting me to gain access to the existing copies of the newspaper, Genius of Liberty, published by Sabina Eastman at Lowell, Illinois. Elizabeth Battle, of the Skaneateles, New York, Historical Society, was essential in supplying copies of The Columbian newspaper and responding to my many inquiries about the Edwards family. Also vital was the contribution of the research staff at the Library of Congress for the appropriate copies of the New York Daily Tribune and the New York Weekly Tribune.

Jean Cavada and the volunteers of the Bureau County Genealogical Society were tireless in helping to trace the backgrounds of the principal La Moille participants. Nancy Beattie and Dan W. Olds provided essential photographic materials. The local history collection and the microfilm capabilities of the Princeton Public Library were outstanding. A special thank-you also goes to the staff of the La Moille-Clarion District Library. Matt Hanson, P. E., of Willett Hofman Associates, Consulting Engineers, was invaluable in locating properties purchased by the incorporation directors. I would be remiss if I did not mention 20-year veteran Chicago Police homicide detective, John Day, who reminded me early on in my research that even circumstantial evidence has some place in historical research.

I am deeply indebted to Marianne Ryan and Bob Kenyon whose respective skills and patience in editing and proofreading greatly improved the quality of the final manuscript. Hazel Sims shepherded me through the complexities of formal style relative to endnotes and the bibliography. A very special fatherly thank-you is reserved for my daughter, Mary Beach. Her numerous contributions to this effort were invaluable.

No doubt I have inadvertently overlooked someone’s contribution to this project. For all those who contributed their individual pieces of the picture, I greatly appreciate your generous and thoughtful assistance. I must also give a huge personal thank-you to the nameless geniuses who gave us the Internet. Without this marvelous research tool, I never would have been able to search the exotic databases of information throughout our nation that added credibility and depth to this inquiry. For a student of somewhat