New Harmony

New Harmony is a historic settlement on the banks of the Wabash River in Posey County, Indiana, with restored buildings, landscaped gardens, and educational centers spread across its planned layout. Early 19th-century brick structures stand beside later additions, while open green spaces recall the original community planning.

German Pietists founded the settlement in 1814 as a religious colony and named it Harmonie, before selling the land in 1825 to Welsh industrialist Robert Owen. Owen renamed the place and attempted a secular social experiment there until 1827, with collective ownership and free education.

The name comes from the Harmonists, who sought religious accord through shared living, then adopted by social reformer Robert Owen. Today, exhibition spaces and archive collections show how these residents organized daily life through common labor and shared ideals.

Visitors can explore the historic district on foot, with signage leading to key buildings and information centers providing maps. Most structures are open during daytime hours, with guided tours offering additional insight into specific areas.

The settlement housed two radically different community models within eleven years, with the second group simply taking over the infrastructure of the first. Owen's followers used the same workshops and dormitories originally built for strictly religious purposes.