Greenhouse and Bakery

The Harmony Society maintained greenhouses in both New Harmony, Indiana, and later Economy, Pennsylvania, reflecting its strong interest in cultivating flowers and plants. In 1824, William Owen observed that the New Harmony greenhouse could be rolled away in summer to expose trees to the air, and gardeners also used hotboxes laid on the ground. Although little is known about Economy's early greenhouse, George W. Featherstonhaugh reported in 1835 that it included a modest conservatory with large oranges and lemons hanging from many trees and various greenhouse plants in good order. Early nineteenth century greenhouses were typically built of brick, stone, wood, and iron, with small glass panes, a solid north wall, a south-facing glass wall, and stove heating carried through flues in a brick floor to a chimney. As iron, glass, and heating methods improved during the nineteenth century, greenhouse makers could build larger glass structures. In 1887, the Harmony Society ordered a replacement for Economy's aging greenhouse from Lord's Horticultural Manufacturing Company of Irvington, New York, and the new structure was aligned north-south to make the best use of sunlight. By 1892, Society leaders had added a greenhouse from the Hitchings Company, creating a T-shaped complex. Evidence indicates that this large late nineteenth century greenhouse still stood in 1905 but had disappeared by 1911, possibly after storm damage such as the destructive hailstorm that struck western Pennsylvania in April 1905. Economy also had a communal baking tradition: during its first fifty years, individual brick bake ovens stood on every street and each household took turns baking a week's bread, but later all baking was centralized in one bakery at the site of today's greenhouse. Unbaked loaves were kept in rye straw baskets and placed into the oven with a long-handled peel. Among the bakery's well-known products were thin, crisp ginger cakes with scalloped edges and Harmonist pies made from schnitz, or small pieces of dried fruit including apples, peaches, pears, and plums sprinkled with whiskey. The community also held work parties for preparing schnitz, sauerkraut, corn husking, and other monotonous tasks. In the mid-1890s, the bakery was torn down to create a grander entrance to the new greenhouse, and baking moved to the Bauder-Nagel house at 272 Thirteenth Street, a Harmonist double house.

Ambridge, Pennsylvania · United States