The decision not to use animal labor on the farm proved to be the undoing of the commune, combined with the fact that many of the men of the commune spent their days teaching or philosophizing instead of working in the field. Using only their own hands, the Fruitlands residents were incapable of growing a sufficient amount of food to get them through the winter.
More Spahn Ranch than Walden Pond. There is no direct connection between Alcott and the Fruitlands commune and John Chapman. This is the replica of Chapman's cabin, which is actually on what is now a suburban cul-de-sac:
