272 THE UTOPIAN COMMUNIST
rented living quarters at 50 cents to $1.50 a month to Venus,
Baumann, Weiss, the Peicks, Brandenberger, and several others
who chose to remain. The receiver's inventory also included deeds
and contracts, "releases," and receipts, in which Weitling's name
frequently was misspelled "W. Weiching" and "W. Whiteling."
The chattel property was appraised at $302.09 and the unpaid
claims recorded in the colony's "Day Book" amounted to $169.55,
thus leaving a balance of $132.54. "For the comfort and con
venience of the Members," the receiver commented in his report,
he "left the household and kitchen furniture in their possession."
The final act recorded in the Clayton County court was the
conveyance of the real estate to private owners by John Garber,
"Trustee of the late corporation." These conveyances were not
completed until April and May, 1864. Some parcels went to old
colonists, such as Ponsar, Baumann, Marxer, Meyer, and Venus.
A few went to persons whose names had not appeared hitherto in
the colony records. The payments ranged from $200 to $4,490,
the larger figure representing the transaction with Joseph Venus
on April 27, 1864. The "deed of trust" given to Weitling in 1852,
the source of so much trouble, was finally released on December
4, 1897, by a commissioner appointed by a decree of the Clayton
County district court. In 1880, Weitling's eldest son wrote to a
judge in Dubuque to inquire what had become of the colony's
land. The judge replied that he had no specific information on the
subject, except that the colony had been dissolved by court order
and that its property had long since passed into private hands.
Today what is left of Communia lies in the heart of a beautiful,
well-cultivated farming country. The WPA Guide for Iowa states
that its post office was finally discontinued in 1903, that the "old
colony house" stands abandoned, and that a $50,000 flour mill (!)
designed by John Thompson, who built many stone mills in north
eastern Iowa, is in disuse.^11 As a matter of fact, regular gymnastic
(^11) Federal writers' project, Iowa, a guide to the Hawkeye state (The Ameri
can Guide Series, New York, 1938), 363; Realto E. Price, History of Clayton
County, Iowa (Chicago, 1916), 107, 322-23; Clayton County Register, August 21,
1930, March 26, 1931, and July 22,1936.