As the United States was being populated, people from many countries, of various religions and customs began to come. Many of these people came over together and built towns together. They felt like it was easier to live around people who had like beliefs and culture. One such town was that of the historic town on the Wabash River in Posey County, Indiana, called New Harmony. The town was founded by the Harmony Society in 1814.

Known as the Rappites, the Harmony Society was similar to the Shakers in certain beliefs. The Harmony Society was named after their founder, Johann Georg Rapp. They had immigrated from Württemburg, Germany, to the United States in 1803, because like many immigrants to the United States, they were looking for religious freedom. George Rapp said in 1791, “I am a prophet, and I am called to be one.” After making that statement in front of a civil affairs official in Maulbronn, Germany, Rapp was arrested and imprisoned for two days. He was then threatened with exile if he did not cease preaching. It was a clear case of religious persecution.

The Rappites believed that the Bible was humanity’s sole authority. They also advanced celibacy and lead a communal life without individual possessions and believed that the harmony of male and female elements in humanity would be reestablished by their efforts. Upon immigrating to the United States, the society first established a colony in Butler County, Pennsylvania, called Harmony. There, George Rapp, also known as Father Rapp, was recognized as the spiritual head of the Society. Rapp’s adopted son, Frederick, managed the Society’s business and commercial affairs.

Under the leadership Frederick Rapp, Harmony’s economy evolved from a subsistence-based community to diversified manufacturing hub. By 1814, the had grown to 700 members and established town with approximately 130 brick, frame, and log houses, as well as numerous factories and processing plants. Their manufactured goods especially textiles and woolens, had a widespread reputation for excellence, along with their wines and whiskey

For a number of reasons, the Harmonists decided to leave Pennsylvania by 1814. The main reason for leaving was that the climate was really not suitable for growing grapes for wine. They also began to have difficulties with the new settlers to the area, resulting in less of their preferred isolation and increased land prices. The group leaders started searching for more land elsewhere. Soon they found land in Indiana that offered a better climate and room for expansion, so they set about planning to move. They sold their settlement to a Mennonite man named Abraham Ziegler for $100,000 and moved west.

Their new location consisted of 3,500 acres along the Wabash River in Indiana. Their first year was plagued with sickness when as many of the Harmonists contracted malaria, causing work on the new town to nearly cease. As many as 120 individuals died from to the illness. Malaria persisted until Rapp ordered the drainage of the mosquito-infested lowlands surrounding the town. This new town was named Harmonie like their Pennsylvania settlement had been. Despite this early setback, the construction of the new town continued. Over the next decade, the society acquired additional land until they owned approximately 20,000 acres. By 1819, the Harmonites had constructed 150 log homes, a church, a community house, barns, stables, and a tavern, as well as established shops and mills and land for farming. They also started manufacturing at a larger scale than they had previously done in Pennsylvania. That year, the settlement boasted a steam wool carding and spinning factory, a brewery, a distillery, vineyards, and a winery.

Again, even though the community continued to thrive during the early 1820s, Frederick Rapp wanted a location better suited to manufacturing and commercial purposes. By 1824 the decision was made to sell their property in Indiana and search for land to the east. On January 3, 1825, the Harmonists sold their town to Robert Owen, a Welsh-born industrialist and social reformer, and his financial partner, William Maclure, for $150,000, and the society returned to Pennsylvania where they established another town. This town was called Economy. There, the Harmonists flourished, achieving their peak of prosperity in1866. However, the, the practice of celacy and schisms diminished the Society’s numbers, and the community was ultimately dissolved in 1905.

After the town was sold to Owen and Maclure, they renamed it New Harmony. Owen and Maclure had determined to create a new utopian community through free education and the abolition of social classes and personal wealth. William Maclure, who was a highly respected geologist, attracted many notable scholars to New Harmony… naturalists, geologists, educators, and early feminists. The town soon became known as a center for advancements in education and scientific research. The residents established the first free library, a drama club and a public school system open to both men and women. Even with all the seeming successes, Owen’s social experiment was an economic failure, and it was dissolved by 1827.

Today, residents and visitors appreciate the leisurely atmosphere of this vibrant community, where festivals, concerts, and plays are held year-round. The is also a popular venue for weddings, conferences, and retreats. This unique rural village, now home to approximately 900 individuals, still showcases the simple wooden structures of the Harmonists. In 1966, the New Harmony Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, with a boundary increase in 2000.