The Long House
In Park on Union St., 1 block S of Hwy. 23, Ripon, Fond du Lac County
The Long House is one of the few visible remains of the pioneer settlement of Ceresco. Founded in 1844 and named for Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, Ceresco was the home of the Wisconsin Phalanx, an experiment in communal living according to the rule of the French social philosopher Charles Fourier. Under the leadership of Warren Chase, the Phalanx attracted a membership of about two hundred persons. The company enjoyed a few years of vigorous life, then declined and disbanded in 1851. The village became a part of Ripon in 1853.
View a related article at Wisconsin Magazine of History Archives.
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[Source: McBride, Sarah Davis. History Just Ahead (Madison:WHS, 1999).]