Old Economy Village preserves the surviving core of Economy, the Harmony Society’s final American community, founded in 1824 on the Ohio River after the group returned to Pennsylvania. Led by Johann Georg Rapp and later Frederick Rapp, the Harmonists built one of the nation’s most successful communal societies, combining shared property, strict religious discipline, and diverse businesses that made them influential in regional trade and development. Their community also fostered music, collections, and landscaped public spaces. A major split in 1832 and the long effects of celibacy weakened the society, which dissolved in 1906. The site remains a vital record of the Harmonists’ religious, economic, and cultural legacy.

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Harmony Township, Pennsylvania · USA