New Harmony is the site of two of America’s earliest utopian
communities. It was founded in 1814 by a group of 800 Lutheran
dissenters from Wurttemburg, Germany. The Harmonie Society, led by
George Rapp, arrived in the United States in 1804, seeking religious
freedom.
After 10 years, the Harmonists purchased 20,000 acres on the banks of
the Indiana Territory’s Wabash River. The Harmonists moved to the area in
1814. As a society and as
individuals, they pursued Christian perfection through every aspect of
their daily conduct. To that end, they created a highly ordered and
productive community at New Harmony. Between 1814 and 1824, the Harmonists
constructed more than 180 log, frame and brick structures in their
settlement. The community was entirely self-sufficient and produced a
wide variety of goods that were traded as far away as New Orleans and
Pittsburgh. Harmonist wares also were sold overseas in the British
Isles, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany.
In 1824, George Rapp decided to sell New Harmony. He
found a purchaser in Robert Owen, a wealthy industrialist of Welsh
descent, who was operating a textile mill in New Lanark, Scotland. In
1825, with his business partner William Maclure, Owen purchased the
community of New Harmony outright, hoping to establish a model community
where education and social equality would flourish.
Owen’s “Community of Equality,” as the experiment was known, had
dissolved by 1827, ravaged by personal conflicts and the inadequacies of
the community in the areas of labor and agriculture. Despite the
breakdown of his experiment, Owen’s utopian dream brought significant
contributions to American scientific and educational theory, study and
practice. Early feminist activity in New Harmony increased national
awareness of the issue of women’s suffrage. | . |
