Harmony

Harmony was founded by the pietist Johann Georg Rapp and his Harmony Society in 1804. George Rapp came to America from Württemberg, Germany in 1803 in search of land for his followers. He was searching for a place for his followers to worship, farm and put into effect Rapp's communal religious teachings. In 1804, two groups of Harmonites purchased a tract of land in Butler County, Pennsylvania.

They formally established the Harmony Society in 1805 and lived in Pennsylvania for about 10 years before selling the Harmony property to Mennonites and moving on to New Harmony, Indiana. In 1824, they moved back to Pennsylvania, this time to Economy (now Ambridge). The settlements were economically successful, producing many goods in a clothing factory, a sawmill, a tannery, and from their vineyards and distillery. A hotel was also run in Harmony. In Economy, the group aided the construction of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, established the Economy Savings Institution and the Economy Brick Works, and operated the Economy Oil Company, Economy Planing Mill, Economy Lumber Company, and eventually donated some land in Beaver Falls for the construction of Geneva College. The society exerted a major influence on the economic development of Western Pennsylvania. But since the group chose to adopt celibacy, they eventually died out when John S. and his wife Susanna C. Duss, the last surviving leaders of Harmony Society, died in 1951.

In 1814, the Harmony Society sold the town to a group of Mennonites lead by Abraham Ziegler. In 1869, the Mennonites built the stone wall around the Harmonite cemetery with the unique revolving stone door. The Mennonite community in Harmony lasted until around 1904, by which time the town was selling more and more individual plots. Still extant is an old Mennonite meeting house on a hill near Harmony that was built in 1825.

In December of 1753, George Washington and Christopher Gist came through the area when it was then known as Murdering Town. In 2003, the borough commemorated the event of them passing through the area as part of the 250th Anniversary Commemoration of the French and Indian War.

Harmony's history, particularly that of the Harmony Society, is preserved at The Harmony Museum[1], operated in the town by Historic Harmony, Inc.

On a hill in Harmony, situated above Connoquenessing Creek sits a "seat" of stone (actually a rock formation). This seat was used by Rapp to watch over the commune and its members in their daily lives. Thanks to local Boy Scout Troop 457 (Zelienople, PA), a set of steps were built leading up to the seat.

To learn more about this beautiful and captivating area click here http://www.harmony-pa.us/