Stelle, Illinois

Stelle is an unincorporated village located in northern Ford County, Illinois. Its estimated population as of 2008 is 101.

Geography

Stelle is located at coord|40|57|09|N|88|09|13|W| (40.9525, -88.1535). The legal description of Stelle’s geography is: The 2nd Resubdivision of Stelle Subdivision No. 1, located in the NE quarter of Section 35, T29N, R9E of the 3rd PM, Rogers Township, Ford County, Illinois. The Stelle Subdivision—AKA Stelle, IL—covers about 40 acres. The US Postal service does not recognize Stelle, IL and uses Cabery, Illinois, 60919. [http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp]

History

Stelle was founded in 1973 by the "Stelle Group," a Chicago organization created by Richard Kieninger.Fact|date=September 2008 During the 1950s, Mr. Kieninger had been a student of the Lemurian Fellowship in Ramona, California, where he was instructed in a set of beliefs called “Lemurian Philosophy.” In his book "The Ultimate Frontier" (written in 1963 under the pen name “Eklal Kueshana”), Mr. Kieninger outlined the tenets of Lemurian Philosophy as well as further teachings he claimed were given to him by ancient, secretive organizations called the “Brotherhoods.”

The teachings Mr. Kieninger attributed to the Brotherhoods included a prediction that cataclysmic earth changes were to occur around the year 2000, as well as recommendations for individual advancement through education, practice of the Twelve Great Virtues and an emphasis on right action to improve one’s karma.Fact|date=September 2008 In order to provide a physical setting where individuals could more easily practice the Brotherhoods’ teachings, the Stelle Group bought land in northern Ford County, Illinois and members built a sewage treatment plant, a water treatment plant, roads, streets, underground utilities, a factory, a school and the first twenty-five homes. Mr. Kieninger predicted that this new town would grow to a population of 250,000 people by the year 2000.Fact|date=September 2008 (Stelle is an example of an intentional community.)

"The Ultimate Frontier" sold over a quarter of a million copies;Fact|date=September 2008 however, Stelle’s distance from major job markets, stringent membership requirements, and lack of funding prevented the community from growing beyond its peak population of 200. Mismanagement also took a toll; initially in 1975, and then again during the mid-1980s, Mr. Kieninger became "persona non grata" in Stelle because of, among other things, his tendency to abuse his positionFact|date=September 2008 and engage in multiple affairs with young Stelle women.Fact|date=September 2008

After leaving Stelle, Mr. Kieninger founded another community, Adelphi, Texas,Fact|date=September 2008 which is located approximately 25 miles east of Dallas, Texas. Many of Stelle’s residents followed him there, and Adelphi grew to a peak population of 30 before declining to its present size of 16.Fact|date=September 2008 Residence in Adelphi is open only to members of the Adelphi Organization, which continues to teach the tenets of Lemurian Philosophy and make available Mr. Kieninger’s writings. All date-specific predictions have been removed from the current edition of "The Ultimate Frontier",Fact|date=September 2008 though references remain to the eventual occurrence of cataclysmic earth changes.

Over the forty years since publication of "The Ultimate Frontier", several thousand people from all parts of the globe have participated in funding and building the two communities. These participants form an informal network of Stelle/Adelphi “graduates” who occasionally return to Stelle for the annual Fourth of July celebration, or who sometimes reunite both to reminisce and to discuss philosophical issues and current events.

During the 1970s, the private homes and Stelle’s one factory were owned by Stelle Industries Inc., whose four divisions (Stelle Woodworking, Stelle Construction, Stelle Plastics, and the Stelle Piano Shop) employed many Stelle residents. Most of the homes were transferred to a form of co-operative ownership after 1976.Fact|date=September 2008 By the mid-1980s, Stelle Industries, Inc. had discontinued its operations, and the factory was eventually purchased by a longtime Stelle resident.Fact|date=September 2008

The school, the community center, the water treatment plant, and the sewage treatment plant were originally owned and operated by the Stelle Group. Quite a few early residents were employed in support positions to handle correspondence, design and operate the public utilities and manage the affairs of the rapidly growing community. Since the population of the community stabilized, democratic decision-making has been administered by the Stelle Community Association,Fact|date=September 2008 a homeowners association, whose personnel also operate the water and sewer services.

Following a 1982 referendum, membership in the Stelle Group was dropped as a prerequisite for residence in the Stelle community. The Stelle Group continued its operations with reduced membership and staff, and its philosophical perspective changed over time. In early 2005, the few remaining Stelle Group members decided to disband and liquidate the organization’s assets—the school, the community center, an orchard, a community garden, a pond, a greenhouse, a storage building, and about 170 acres (700,000 m²) of farmland adjoining the village.Fact|date=September 2008

In late 2005, the Center for Sustainable Community (CSC), an educational organization that maintains its headquarters in Stelle, purchased the orchard, the community garden, the pond, the greenhouse, and the storage building.Fact|date=September 2008 The remaining farmland was purchased by a local organic farmer.Fact|date=September 2008

Although Stelle has become more similar to the nearby villages of Cabery and Kempton, it is still notable for its suburban design, the solar panels on many homes and many residents’ enthusiasm for lifelong education and co-operative enterprises.Fact|date=September 2008 It has its own telephone company, which provides telephone, television, and internet access to the village. Stelle also boasts a community garden co-op, a tool co-op, a Monday night dinner co-op, and, until recently, a learning co-op for young children.

Stelle has historically attracted a broad mix of people, many from outside the Midwest.Fact|date=September 2008

Further reading

*Kueshana, Eklal "The Ultimate Frontier" ISBN 0-9632252-0-0

External links

*http://www.stellecommunity.com
*http://www.centerforsustainablecommunity.org/
*http://www.centerforsustainablecommunity.org/land-walking-tour.html
*http://www.adelphi.com
*http://www.lemurianfellowship.org