Good Old New Harmony

New Harmony, Ind., has a sense of community that ties its residents to the past and future. As a product of two communal living projects which began more than 190 years ago, a tangible unity is seen in the buildings, felt in the welcoming spirit and heard in the kind words of the residents.

The first settlers of the area were members of the Harmonist Society, led by George Rapp. The group purchased the land in 1814 and cultivated it while waiting for the second coming of Christ. The Harmonists, from Wurttemburg, Germany, remained celibate and lived frugally in anticipation of Christ. During the 10 years they lived in New Harmony, they built more than 180 log, frame and brick structures, many of which have been preserved. The Harmonist Society sold the town to Robert Owen and his business partner, William Maclure, in 1824, and relocated to Pennsylvania in an effort to be closer to trade routes.

When Owen purchased the town, he thought the communal set-up would be the perfect platform from which to launch his own theory of communal living. The Owen Society was a community in which education and social equality would flourish. The idea attracted well-known 19th century scholars to New Harmony, making it a cutting-edge scientific community. However, it was poorly managed and dissolved in 1827.

Today, the history of New Harmony is preserved through the creation of Historic New Harmony, a unified program of the University of Southern Indiana, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.

Jan Kahle, education coordinator at Historic New Harmony, said the primary principles and community spirit both groups were striving for can still be felt in the community. The contrast of the religious Harmonists and scientific Owen Society has blended to create the artistic and abstract aura of the town.

"It's more than historic sites and buildings. New Harmony is a living community with concerts, theater productions and private homes next to historic sites," Kahle said. "You really feel that even if you haven't been here before."

With the town's population that hasn't strayed far from 850 throughout the years, New Harmony has remained self-sufficient; taking great pride in the fact they don't have, or need, the distractions of chain stores or strip malls. Because of this, Kahle said, New Harmony might be one of the last places to truly "get away" and take a few steps back in time.

"You can get in touch with yourself here," Kahle said. "There aren't distractions. It's a great place to reconnect with your family, your spouse or yourself. You can walk through the gardens, meditate in the roofless church or tour an art gallery."

The sites of New Harmony are all within a few blocks of one another. The Antheneum/Visitors Center is perched on the furthest edge of town, on the bank of the Wabash River. Its modern design covered in white porcelain-coated steel is a deliberate contrast to the primitive Harmonist homes with logs and dirt floors that sprinkle the nearest block.

Another modern structure, The Roofless Church, dedicated in 1960, was built by the Robert Lee Blaffer Trust as a visual reference to a Biblical verse used frequently by the Harmonists' as a basis for their belief in the coming of Christ. The verse is found in the book of Micah. It reads, "Unto thee shall come a golden rose…" To illustrate this, the Roofless Church was designed by architect Philip Johnson, who died earlier this year, to look like an inverted rosebud that casts the shadow of a fully bloomed rose.

This phrase from Micah can also be seen on the replica of the front door of the Harmonists' church. The freestanding door is used as the entrance to Church Park where the old foundation of the church once sat. Above the door is a carved rose with the verse below it.

In constant contrast, The Rapp Granary, a scientific laboratory, sits one block over from the religious foundation. The large sandstone, brick and wooden building has served as a corn and flower mill, warehouse, strongbox and as a scientific laboratory. Now the building is rented out for weddings, conferences, concerts and parties.

The MacLeod Barn Abbey is another structure that can be rented for meetings. With 1,000 square feet of meeting space and the capacity to sleep 28 people, it is often used for retreats, reunions and other overnight events.

Physical structures left behind from the early settlers also include two detailed labyrinths. Both the Harmonist Labyrinth and Cathedral Labyrinth offer places for meditation or enjoying the winding paths. The shrubbery maze was based on the original Harmonist design and was reconstructed by the Indiana Department of Conservation in the 1930s. The Cathedral Labyrinth is a recreation of the floor labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral outside of Paris...