Monan’s Rill grew out of conversations between friends and acquaintances who were searching for a greater sense of community amongst themselves, as well as a physical place for this community to take root and grow. After 2 1/2 years of discussions and a lengthy search for land, the thirteen founders pooled their resources and energy in October 1974 to establish this place we now call home.
Most of the founding members of Monan’s Rill were Quakers, though there was (and still is) no requirement to be Quaker to belong. The founders included teachers, musicians, NGO workers, and civil rights, women’s health, and prisoner rights activists, so we have a long history of building community with each other while being of service to the world. Our business meetings are conducted largely in the manner of Friends. All decisions are arrived at by consensus. At the same time, we are committed to growing and learning from best practices in facilitation and consensus.
Monan’s Rill has always been an intergenerational community, and historically, up to 30 people lived at the Rill at any given time. The 2020 Glass Fire drastically reduced the number of homes, and after a period of very few residents, we recently completed the first round of rebuilding to bring more people back to the land. Today there are 11 adults and 3 children living on the 414 acres we call Monan’s Rill.