Although the word “utopia” is often associated with science fiction, utopian communities were a common fixture in nineteenth century America. Incorporating unique religious and social ideals, these communities grew rapidly during the nineteenth century before declining in the early twentieth century. Read more about it!

The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.

The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.