New Harmony, IN History Harmony Society / Harmonist, 1814 -1825 Frederick / George Rapp, Rappites, seek salvation in a place remote from temptations & distractions I the world” Wilson

textile manufacture of woolen broadcloth, cotton & silk

Owenite Community,1825 - 40, Ideal community for the reform of society,

600 Scottish families who followed Owen & McClure.

Sons: Robert Dale Owens, Scientist & naturalist & Richard Owen (education)

Education for infants and first free public school system, first training school for teachers in all the west.” p.291 Lockwood

& William MacLure, Macluria, which split off from this group to settle an adjoining community. The communities were agricultural but based on the principles of union of labor & capital.” p.115 Lockwood

New Harmony, IN Groups, WMI, HNH & ISM- NHSHS

WMI Exterior & downtown NH

“The subsequent story of the chain of public libraries, modeled after the

Society for Mutual Instruction of community days, which Maclure’s will

provided in 1840 were monies for 160 library’s for frontier settlements of

the west.” p289 Lockwood

WMI / Workingman’s Librarian’s office space

& entrance with case exhibits

New Harmony, Indiana

Workingman’s Institute First Floor Library

Workingman’s

Institute was set

up in the late

1890’s to

educate the

public about art

& science

through their

exhibitions.

50 Year Cultural History

Case Exhibits modified in 1992-2002

Rappite Dress & 1960 - 1990 Exhibit

¼ of 2nd fl.-Ohio River exhibit-2002 Highway transportation grant & WMI 2nd fl. left side –

Workingman’s Institute History

Large Paintings on the left & exterior wall.

WMI Vaults & Painting Storage

2002 WMI ½ of Second Floor

Ron Richards, ISM paleobiologist work in the collections over the

last decade persuaded the current board & library staff ,

Frank Smith & Sherry Graves to focus the exhibits on the

Owen Natural History collection.

WMI Natural History Exhibits

with limited cultural history, mounted prints, quilts…

Silvered photo of George Rapp, umbrella

(box storage in vaults since 2002)

Father Rapp’s History, Old Economy, PA into 1880’s

“There is no portrait of him, german,… he was

nearly six feet high: well built, with blue eyes, a

somewhat stately walk , and a full beard, which he

was the first in the society to wear.” Nordhoff p. 91

Gertrude Rapp, grandaughter of the founderp.95 Nordhoff

Rappist Women’s Bonnet Type

2002 Sun, Air & Vacuum

In 2002, 50 Costume objects were stabilized,

inventoried, tagged and archivally boxed for storage in

the Vaults, behind this wall.

HNH & ISM- NHSHS run under a Unified Program.

This is 1 of 3 rooms in the Dormitory that are the

NHSHS General Collection Storage

“Historic New Harmony (HNH)” and the “Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites- New Harmony State Historic Site (ISM)” operate under what is known as a Unified Program.

NHSHS Archives Storage –

Dan Goodman, newharmonyshs@dynasty.net

Both institutions still retain

their historic properties and

artifact collections in

town. Until 1991 both

institutions were running

parallel programs,

competing for the same

grants, fighting for the

same visitor, running

similar gift shops, etc.

NHSHS – Golden Troupe c. 1900 Vaudeville-Theatre

Group Storage

“ HNH provides administrative, education functions and ISM provides collections management, exhibition, curatorial functions.

While the lines are blurred, I deal with both collection’s artifacts. They remain in their respective storage facilities and in separate databases.” Dan Goodman 10-06

New Harmony, Indiana Groups

WMI, HNH & NHSHS

WMI/ Workingman’s Institute Library Staff, 812-682-4806

Sherry Grave (Librarian) sgraveswmi@hotmail.com,

Frank Smith (Collections) fsmithwmi@hotmail.com

HNH Unified program since 1991 ( Bodmer Prints exhibition)

And the ISM- NHSHS

Jean Graham Lee (Director 1993-2003) NHSHS

Dan Goodman, Collections Manager. NHSHS & HNH

newharmonyshs@dynasty.net (812) 682-4488

Office in Schnee-Ribeyre-Elliott House, Storage in Dormitory II

Affiliation of University of Southern Indiana Extended Services, Evansville, IN

Jane Owen Private collector and real estate owner of Conference center, hotel…

Red Geranium Enterprises

In the book, New Harmony Communities, written by

George B. Lockwood , 1905, who completed his

political science degree from DePauw University, he

states,

“In the New Harmony library, one of the most interesting book collections in the country, the files of the New Harmony Gazette, a weekly paper published throughout the lifetime of the Owenite experiment as the organ of the movement, was found the most prolific source of information.”

“The scrapbooks of Richard Owen and Mrs. Arthur Dransfield, the letters and papers of Josiah Warren, the community account-books and the letters, wills, and deeds of William Maclure, were also found in the New Harmony library…. “ p. 380 Lockwood.

Readings The Angel & The Serpent, The Story of New Harmony.” William Wilson,

IU Press, 1964 & 84, general reading

The Communistic Societies of the United States , Corner House

Publishers, MASS 1978, reprint of 1875 copy of Charles Norhoff,

“The Harmonists at Economy in 1874 p.63-98

The New Harmony Communities, D.Appleton & Co.

1902 c, by George B. Lockwood (DePauw University)