New Harmony
Hannah Kelly
Origins
- located in New Harmony, Indiana
- founded by the Harmony Society (aka Harmonists, Harmonites, Rappites, etc.)
- they were a group of Separatists from the German Lutheran Church
- originally founded by German immigrant Johann Georg Rapp (aka George Rapp)
- the Harmonists settled in the Indiana Territory after leaving Harmony, PA
- they left due to westward expansion, the area's rising population, jealous neighbors, and increasing cost for land; which all threatened the society's desire for isolation
New Harmony, Indiana
Important Leaders
- the town itself was originally founded by Johann Georg Rapp
- in 1825 the property was bought by Robert Owen and turned into an attempted utopic community
- Owen believed in strict rules for the creation of ideal human beings
- he envisioned a "New Moral World" for enlightenment through science, education, technology, and communal living
- his dream of a perfect society eventually failed after two years
- the picture below on the left is Owen's depiction of the community, which was never fully constucted
Major Beliefs and Practices
- New Harmony consisted of log cabins, or "block houses," called so because they were made of square timbers of oak or poplar
- the Harmonists lived in co-ed community houses
- none of the cabins survived, because the Harmonists tore them down to reuse the lumber for new houses
- the Harmonist cemetery, built on an old Native American burial ground, was center to many beliefs
- the Harmonists firmly believed in equality, so all the graves are unmarked
- they also believed that a person's character was shaped by his or her environment
- therefore, they believed that controlling the environment would result in superior character for all
- New Harmony had its own currency, which was worth the amount of time a person worked
- rules under Owen were very strict and paternal, such as curfews, house inspections, fines for drunkenness and illegitimate children
- parents were not allowed to see their children often while they were being schooled
- Owen wished to "shield children from the unwanted negative influence of their parents and families"