I thought it might help past residents of the Mt Hope Commune if they had a place to communicate with each other. All are welcome and hopefully this will be a place that helps some.
So feel free to post memories, thoughts and updates here. There will likely be strong opinions which are welcome, but please, let's create a place of respect and kindness.
Best wishes.
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting up this site. I hope it's theraputic for you. I don't really think I have enough to say about this stuff on my own to start my own blog, but I'll comment on yours if that's ok.
Hi Mount Hope People,
ReplyDeleteI hope that you will accept me anonymously for now. I was there off and on for much of my childhood, and have a few beautiful and many painful memories of Mount Hope. This commune played a large part in the break up of my parents, although I can't blame it all on the cult. I remember many occasions of physical abuse and many more of psychological abuse. Perhaps that is why I went into the mental health field. On the other hand, I did meet some very gentle and loving people there, and I got to experience the beauty of upstate New York in concrete way. I learned a about discipline and respect toward adults, but again, some times that became abuse. I did learn that all people have their own gifts to share, and that all people are flawed. I would like to stay in touch, and eventually bring this to facebook or something for other former residents to find. I would also like to hear both the good and the bad, so that I can at least make some kind of sense of it. Thank you for the opportunity to post. God bless you, and thank you for breaking the ice.
~C
Thank you Valerie for posting this blog.
ReplyDeleteHi C
Mount Hope Kids and Families
is a closed Facebook page where many of us share of our times at Mount Hope.
Maria Burns administers the site.
Check it out.
I am Martha Jones Koenig and I too spent my teen years at Mount Hope. Although I enjoyed much of the community life, I believe that "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely"...and that Herbert had absolute power and he took advantage of it.
To the people I shared the life with, it was family and beautiful; for the wrong Herbert did, we have all been forever scarred.
Martha martha_koenig@juno.com
Herbert was a tyrant, a dictator and a big control freak. I have never seen such abuse in my life. Herbert fooled some of the most intelligent people I have ever met. I was only there for 2 years but I was cut off from my family for 11 years. I called to wish my sister a happy birthday and was told "Herbert says you are evil, evil, evil and don't ever call here again. I would like to say I hate him but I pity him. I am so sorry to see the lives he affected and I pray for us all every day.
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me post here.
Peter Carriere
The "evil, evil, evil one.
Hi Pete, I'm Art, I don't know if your the Pete I use to play guitar with? I lived next door to the commune. From when they moved in until they moved out. I remember the people and the buildings, horses.
Deleteartgtr@yahoo.com
Yes....Herbert had a great act going on I have to admit I almost fell for it in the beginning. But...after seeing him go ballistic one day because someone forgot to pay the phone bill, and making the girl cry and telling her she was no good, I started to pay close attention to what was really going on. Herbert liked to play bouncy bounce with the girls, many of the girls would vie for this attention, now here was this older man in this big chair and jammies all the time, I knew this would start something, and the guys would have to act a certain way or he copped an attitude.And the red light above the door and people lining up to get in was great, what a scene.And the lap scene like BaBa (without the feather).No I'm glad I split this scene,he wanted complete control, if not he would become crazy.I never never listened to him regarding religion.He was Jewish.A Catholic no way. What a mess up there.
ReplyDeleteI am effected because two loved ones took their lives as a result of the evil that took place there. I'm sorry to all effected by Satan's spawns. I can relate so I understand.
ReplyDeleteDo any of you know or heard of George Oriani? He was supposedly a part of this cult's leadership.
ReplyDelete