Exhibits
Historic Rooms
The Museum in the Mansion House has permanent and changing exhibits, as well as period rooms that have been preserved in their original state or restaged to approximate their appearance during the active years of the Oneida Community.
The period rooms open to museum guests including the Big Hall, the Old Library, the Upper Sitting Room, a Sleeping Room, and the Nursery Kitchen.
Interpretive Exhibits
Some of our permanent exhibits include Oneida Game Traps, 1852-1925: The Edward J. Knobloch Collection; The Braidings of Jessie Catherine Kinsley; and Oneida Industries. These exhibits interpret the actions and beliefs of the Oneida Community and Oneida Ltd. and examine how ideas and events from the past can help us understand and navigate the world we live in today.​
The Braidings of Jessie Catherine Kinsley
Trace the roots of Kinsley’s art to a childhood experience with textile work in the Oneida Community and to formal art training from Kenneth Hayes Miller, an influential figure in twentieth-century American art. The presentation featuring exquisite silk braidings and paintings explores Kinsley's themes and the significance of her achievement. What began as rug decoration evolved, during the 1910s, into a new painterly art form and her fusion of tapestry and illustrated manuscript exemplified the American Craftsman aesthetic (ca 1910-1925).
Oneida Game Traps, 1852-1925: The Edward J. Knobloch Collection
An installation featuring a representative selection of traps sold by the Oneida company under the names Newhouse and Victor and still considered the world's best. The exhibit contains more than fifty types of traps and illustrates how local trap-making began with the Oneida Community (1848-1880), a famous experiment in utopian living.
