Johann Georg Rapp and his Harmonie Society founded Harmonie on the Wabash in 1814. The Harmonists called the town their “neu Harmonie” having left their initial American home in Harmonie Pennsylvania. Its members were Separatists from the German Lutheran Church. This millennial society, waiting for Christ to come, built 180 buildings in the 10 years they were here and many are still standing today. The Harmonists applied their shared work ethic to achieve uncommon economic success, but in 1824 moved back to Pennsylvania and built their third town called Economy.
Robert Owen, a Welsh-born industrialist and social reformer, and William Maclure, an educator and the Father of American Geology, purchased the town from Father Rapp in 1825 and the second utopia was to be a new moral world based on equal education and equal social status. They brought the “Boatload of Knowledge” to New Harmony, navigating here with many scientists and educators including Entomologist and Conchologist Thomas Say. Years after Say’s death, his firefly became Indiana’s official state insect on March 23, 2018. Although their utopian vision eventually dissolved, the creative efforts of the Owen/Maclure period are still evident today.
The third utopia can be attributed to Jane Blaffer Owen (1915-2010). During her timein New Harmony she brought modern architecture to the town, such as the Roofless Church, the Atheneum and many public art pieces. She created serenity with Tillich Park, Church Park and the Cathedral Labyrinth and has left behind a legacy all her own.
Utopia hasn’t ceased to exist even today in this captivating little Southern Indiana town. New Harmony is full of life, offering all sorts of activities from one of a kind eateries, specialty shops, antiques, festivals, art, nature and history. Visit New Harmony and you’ll find yourself coming back to experience utopia for many years to come.
Historic New Harmony conducts guided tours starting from the Atheneum Visitors Center. These tours include:
History tours include an orientation film at the Atheneum Visitors Center, Atheneum exhibits, special programming (if available) and access to numerous historic sites and special exhibits. Visitors should set aside approximately two hours for a typical history tour.
Tour the historic properties of two Utopian communities – the Harmonists and the Owenites – and discover the renaissance of science, spirituality, and the arts in this small Hoosier town.
Join us for an hour-long guided tour through our uniquely historic buildings including Community House #2, Thrall’s Opera House, the Rapp-Owen Granary, the Fauntleroy House, as well as the Harmonist cemetery.
Enjoy the incredible collection of Gardens, Fountains, Sculptures, and Structures of the JBO Sanctuary year-round for self-paced tours from dusk to dawn, at no cost thanks to the Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation.
Founded in 1838, the Working Men’s Institute (WMI) is Indiana’s oldest continuously operating library. The WMI’s second floor museum is a must-see while visiting New Harmony. Explore our exhibits of history, art, and natural history to enjoy New Harmony’s rich heritage and fascinating past. The museum is free and open to the public.
Your group can enjoy a pleasant golf cart tour of the beautiful gardens of New Harmony, hosted by the members of the New Harmony Garden Club. You will see and hear the highlights of our formal gardens, the Garden Club’s special projects, personal cottage gardens and delightful special interests, such as the Garden Kaleidoscope and the Tree of 40 Fruits.
The tour is approximately 45 minutes long can be customized should you have special interests in a particular gardening area or the Wabash River nature trails.
Garden Club or Master Gardener groups are free. For others, the suggested donation is $7 per person. Please allow at least four days’ lead time to arrange your tour. For reservations, contact Marlene Huffaker at 765/749-1682 or Robin Lewis 812/480-2087.
