SHERRILL — The Oneida Community Mansion House will unveil a new National Register of Historic Places sign at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6, on the front lawn of the Mansion House, thanks to the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.

The Mansion House was put on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966, a feat that only around 3% of properties on the register have achieved, officials say.

Though designated more than 50 years ago, the Mansion House has never had any signage to alert the public to this important piece of American history. To remedy this, the OCMH applied to and was awarded the William G. Pomeroy Foundation’s National Register Signage Grant, a program which aims to provide markers to historic sites that currently do not have signage to inform people of a structure’s historic importance.

A marker was manufactured in Ohio and shipped to the Mansion House this summer.

The Mansion House’s formal unveiling ceremony is opportunity to thank the Pomeroy Foundation and celebrate the 160th Anniversary of the construction of this National Historic Landmark, officials said, adding that the ceremony will be followed by a small reception inside the Mansion House.

“As 2022 marks the 160th birthday of this amazing structure, it is so important that we celebrate by welcoming in as many people as we can,” noted Thomas Guiler, director of museum affairs. “One of the best ways to do that is by partnering with the Pomeroy Foundation to put one of their amazing markers outside our building where motorists and passersby can see it and stop in to learn more about one of the most successful utopian communities in American history.”

Executive Director Christine Hall O’Neil added, “The William G. Pomeroy Foundation is one of the most important and generous philanthropic organizations in Central New York and we cannot be more grateful for their support. Their historic marker program is a tremendous benefit to the community and we are thrilled and honored to be a part of it.”

The OCMH was the 93,000 square ft. home of the utopian Oneida Community (1848-1880). The mission of the OCMH — now a non-profit organization — is to use its historic site and collection to share the story of the Oneida Community – one of the most radical and successful of the 19th century social experiments – to explore pressing social issues that still confront audiences today.