Harmony Society

One of the most successful communal so­cieties in nineteenth-century America. In 1804 this group of German religious dis­senters fled Wurttemberg for Pennsylvania to find religious asylum and to await the return of Jesus.

Born to a successful farming family in Iptingen in 1757, Johann George Rapp worked as a vinedresser and weaver. His in­terest in the Bible developed into a passion, which manifested itself as private prayer meetings during the 1780s. Fascinated by the book of Revelation, Rapp predicted Christ’s return and the creation of God’s kingdom on earth in the new millennium. Rapp resolved to teach his fellow farmers and craftsmen to emulate the early Chris­tian church. Like the first Christians, they should worship in their homes and take the Lord’s Supper only at specific times of the year. Children were not baptized; rather, baptism remained for repentant adults. These Separatists, as authorities named the congregation, refused to bear weapons of war or to send their children to the local schools.

Because their faith antagonized the Lutheran Church, Rapp and his associates needed to find a safe haven. In 1803 Rapp and a small party sailed to the United States and purchased property located 25 miles north of Pittsburgh. Over 500 Sepa­ratists followed and started construction on the town of Harmony.

To nurture their faith and pool re­sources, Rapp’s followers formed the Har­mony Society. A board of trustees agreed to provide members with food, lodgings, health care, education, and religious in­struction. In return, community members pledged to give all their property to the community, to submit to its laws, and to work toward its welfare.

Because the exact date of Christ’s re­turn was not known, the Harmony Society pursued agriculture and industry during their period of waiting. While agriculture remained the main economic support, Frederick Rapp, the society’s financial ge­nius, began to market Harmonist goods to merchants from Pittsburgh to New Or­leans. Harmonist textiles became notable for quality and provided a substantial rev­enue source.

In 1807 members agreed to a rule of voluntary celibacy with husbands and wives living as brothers and sisters. Al­though Rapp continued to celebrate mar­riages, celibacy was viewed as a more pure condition of religious life. Family units continued as the social structure of each household. The community was close-knit and German language, skills, and art re­mained in use.

Concerns over soil productivity and climate in Pennsylvania prompted Rapp to seek new land. After the sale of Harmony, the entire community boarded riverboats for the Indiana Territory. Construction of a town, New Harmony, commenced in 1814. An influx of German immigrants in­creased the population to nearly 800 mem­bers. Despite this growth, the unpre­dictability of the river system disrupted the shipment of goods and the climate contra­dicted agricultural practices. Furthermore, arguments erupted among families over initial contributions to the society. Rapp perceived these squabbles as arising from a lapse in faith and the luxury of settled life. In 1824 he sold New Harmony to Robert Owen and the community traveled back up the Ohio River to their final home, Economy.

Economy, located north of Pittsburgh, witnessed the apex of the Harmony Soci­ety. The economic basis of the community shifted from agriculture to industry. As wealth increased, the Harmony Society ex­erted more influence in the regional econ­omy with investments in local businesses. The society gave to the poor and housed orphaned children.

for instance, J. Leander Bishop’s History of American Manufactures from 1608 to 1860, volume 2 (1864).

In 1832 a self-styled prophet, Count Leon, joined the society—only to split it into factions. Leon’s philosophy contra­dicted Rapp’s teachings and he persuaded about 250 members to challenge Rapp’s authority. After a financial settlement, Leon and the splinter group moved north to create the New Philadelphia Society. These events traumatized the Harmony Society and remaining members withdrew into a more private community, refusing new members. The Harmony Society never regained the lost population.

The community began a slow decline, although the antebellum years were finan­cially prosperous. George Rapp governed until his death in 1847. Upon his deathbed, Rapp held firm to his belief that he would lead his people into the kingdom of God. The new leaders retained that faith as they faced an aging population and im­mense wealth. As the vitality of the labor force disappeared, capital investment re­placed manufacturing. Investment profits permitted the society to hire a nonmember labor force for its remaining businesses. In 1906 the last two members, Susanna Duss and Franz Gilman, formally dissolved the Harmony Society. All three Harmonist towns survive as historic sites today.

Lisa Porter

See also Pennsylvania

References and Further Reading

Arndt, Karl. George Rapp’s Harmony Society, 1785—1847. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1965.

------. George Rapp’s Successors and Material Heirs. Rutherford, NJ: Farleigh Dickinson University, 1971.

Duss, John S. The Harmonists: A Personal History. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Book Service, 1943.