Morningstar commune
Encyclopedia
Morningstar Commune was an active open land counterculture
commune
in (Occidental
) Sebastopol
near San Francisco. Morningstar was part of the changing society of young adults in the 1960s that traveled back and forth between the Haight-Ashbury district and Sebastopol. Co-founder Louis Gottlieb
coined the acronym LATWIDNO (Land Access To Which Is Denied No One) to refer to the ranch and other similar communal-living experiments. The ranch existed in this form for a very short time but was a regular gathering-place for many of those traveling through the Haight.
"Morningstar" lives on as the name of one of the residences at Twin Oaks Community, a contemporary commune of 100 members in Virginia. All buildings at Twin Oaks are named after communities that no longer exist. Ramon Sender
has written about Morningstar as part of his effort to document the history of the Free Land movement by compiling oral history interviews. Pam Hanna's vivid personal recounting of both the California and New Mexico branches of Morningstar. Part I (California). Part II (New Mexico).
In 2008, a play written about the Morningstar Commune premiered in California.
Counterculture of the 1960s
The counterculture of the 1960s refers to a cultural movement that mainly developed in the United States and spread throughout much of the western world between 1960 and 1973. The movement gained momentum during the U.S. government's extensive military intervention in Vietnam...
commune
Intentional community
An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They...
in (Occidental
Occidental, California
Occidental is a census-designated place in Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 1,115 at the 2010 census, down from 1,272 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Occidental is located at...
) Sebastopol
Sebastopol, California
Sebastopol is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, approximately north of San Francisco. The population was 7,379 at the 2010 census, but its businesses also serve surrounding rural portions of Sonoma County, totaling about 50,000 people...
near San Francisco. Morningstar was part of the changing society of young adults in the 1960s that traveled back and forth between the Haight-Ashbury district and Sebastopol. Co-founder Louis Gottlieb
Louis Gottlieb
Dr. Louis Gottlieb was bassist and lofty comic spokesman for The Limeliters. He was considered one of the so-called "new comedy" performers such as Mort Sahl, Nichols and May, and Lenny Bruce: a new generation of unabashed intellectuals.Lou's special trademark on stage was a delightful burlesquing...
coined the acronym LATWIDNO (Land Access To Which Is Denied No One) to refer to the ranch and other similar communal-living experiments. The ranch existed in this form for a very short time but was a regular gathering-place for many of those traveling through the Haight.
"Morningstar" lives on as the name of one of the residences at Twin Oaks Community, a contemporary commune of 100 members in Virginia. All buildings at Twin Oaks are named after communities that no longer exist. Ramon Sender
Ramon Sender
Ramon Sender Barayón is a composer, writer and the co-founder, with Morton Subotnick, of the San Francisco Tape Music Center in 1961. He studied with George Copeland, Elliott Carter, and Robert Erickson....
has written about Morningstar as part of his effort to document the history of the Free Land movement by compiling oral history interviews. Pam Hanna's vivid personal recounting of both the California and New Mexico branches of Morningstar. Part I (California). Part II (New Mexico).
In 2008, a play written about the Morningstar Commune premiered in California.