Historic New Harmony

Historic New Harmony We're on Instagram! http://instagram.com/historicnewharmony

Historic New Harmony is a University of Southern Indiana program dedicated to preserving, sharing, and celebrating the unique history and heritage of New Harmony, Indiana.

🧩 Sunday Crossword Challenge: The Harmony Society Edition 🧩Our Sunday Crossword series continues with a puzzle inspired ...
09/13/2026

🧩 Sunday Crossword Challenge: The Harmony Society Edition 🧩

Our Sunday Crossword series continues with a puzzle inspired by the people who first built New Harmony: the Harmony Society.

Founded by the German religious leader George Rapp, the Harmony Society settled in New Harmony in 1814 and transformed this area of southwestern Indiana into a thriving community known for its industry, craftsmanship, and shared way of life. Over their ten years in New Harmony, the Harmonists constructed many of the buildings and landmarks that still shape the town today, including the David Lenz House, the Granary, and the Harmonist Labyrinth.

Although the Harmony Society sold the town to Robert Owen in 1825 and moved east to Pennsylvania, their legacy remains visible throughout the community. Their careful planning, agricultural success, and distinctive architecture laid the foundation for the generations of dreamers, reformers, and innovators who followed.

🧠 How much do you know about the Harmonists and their time in New Harmony? Put your knowledge to the test with this week's online crossword challenge!

Link to puzzle: https://crosswordlabs.com/embed/harmony-society-harmonists-in-new-harmony-indiana

✅ Try the puzzle yourself
✅ Challenge a friend or family member
✅ Share your score in the comments and tell us which clue was the most challenging

Happy puzzling and exploring of New Harmony's rich history!

🍪 Cookie Bakers Needed! 🍪The New Harmony Kiwanis Club is seeking homemade cookie donations for the University of Souther...
09/12/2026

🍪 Cookie Bakers Needed! 🍪

The New Harmony Kiwanis Club is seeking homemade cookie donations for the University of Southern Indiana Engaged Learning Day in New Harmony on Tuesday, September 15.

These treats help make the day a little sweeter for the freshman students, many of whom are away from home for the first time. If you enjoy baking and would like to contribute, we'd be grateful for your support!

If you can donate homemade cookies, please deliver them to the Kiwanis tent on the front lawn of the New Harmony Working Men's Institute on Tuesday, September 15, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Thank you for helping us welcome and encourage the next generation of learners. ❤️

🚨Fraud Alert: Phone Number SpoofingWe have been made aware that scammers are spoofing the Atheneum's phone number, (812)...
09/11/2026

🚨Fraud Alert: Phone Number Spoofing

We have been made aware that scammers are spoofing the Atheneum's phone number, (812) 682-4474, and contacting individuals regarding a supposed cell phone bill. Calls may appear on caller ID as "Harmonist Labyrinth."

Please be aware that neither the Atheneum nor Historic New Harmony is making these calls.

If you receive a call of this nature, do not provide any personal or financial information. We recommend hanging up and contacting the organization directly using a verified phone number if you have concerns.

Please email [email protected] to report a suspicious call.

Thank you for helping us spread the word and protect our community!

Today we remember the lives lost on September 11, 2001, and honor the courage of the first responders, service members, ...
09/11/2026

Today we remember the lives lost on September 11, 2001, and honor the courage of the first responders, service members, and ordinary citizens who responded in extraordinary ways.

As we reflect on this 25th anniversary, we remember not only loss, but also the compassion, service, and resilience shown in its aftermath.

📸 Tillich Park, New Harmony, Indiana. Heidi Taylor-Caudill, photographer.

Have you seen the new issue of Evansville Living magazine? Readers voted New Harmony the "Best Place to Take Visitors or...
09/10/2026

Have you seen the new issue of Evansville Living magazine?

Readers voted New Harmony the "Best Place to Take Visitors or Out-of-Town Guests" in the magazine's 2026 Best of the City awards. According to the feature, "...between the peaceful Roofless Church and the winding labyrinth, to the quaint Downtown shops and a fascination with fireflies, New Harmony is special."

There's always something to discover here. Stroll our historic streets, browse locally owned shops, enjoy great food, explore gardens and landmarks, and experience the small-town atmosphere that keeps visitors coming back.

Thank you to everyone who voted and to all who continue to share New Harmony with family and friends. If you haven't visited lately, consider this your invitation. Come see what makes New Harmony a favorite destination for so many.

Read the full Best of the City 2026 feature at https://www.evansvilleliving.com/best-of-the-city-2026/

Plan your visit to New Harmony at https://www.visitnewharmony.com/

📸 Our Lady Queen of Peace Shrine, New Harmony, Indiana, October 2024. Photographer: David Angel.

Sometimes a historic photograph comes with a name but few answers.This image shows Frank Williams, a member of the Unit...
09/10/2026



Sometimes a historic photograph comes with a name but few answers.

This image shows Frank Williams, a member of the United States Reserves, standing outside a brick building in New Harmony, Indiana. Dressed in his military coat and hat, Frank faces the camera in what appears to be a carefully composed portrait.

Today, we take photographs almost without thinking. But when this image was made, having your picture taken was often a deliberate occasion. The military uniform may have been important enough to mark the moment.

Was this photograph sent to family or friends? Was it taken before a departure, after a return, or simply because Frank wanted to preserve this part of his life? We may never know.

What makes the image especially interesting is that historians are often left with only a few clues: a name, a place, a uniform, and a photograph. The rest of the story has to be pieced together from the details that remain.

If someone found a photograph of you 100 years from now, what questions would they ask? What details would help tell your story, and what mysteries would remain?

📸 Frank Williams in uniform in New Harmony, Indiana, undated. Photographer once known. MSS 247-6720, Don Blair Collection, University of Southern Indiana Archives and Special Collections.

🔎Take a closer look at https://library.usi.edu/record/1540711?ln=en&p=MSS+247-6783&v=uv #?xywh=-3886%2C-207%2C12399%2C7040

A few weeks ago, we showed you a two-inch enamel box with a guillotine painted on the lid. Here's the rest of the story....
09/09/2026

A few weeks ago, we showed you a two-inch enamel box with a guillotine painted on the lid. Here's the rest of the story.

When the box came to us there was a photograph inside. It's a tintype, cut down to an oval with scissors, no case and no mat, showing a young man in a dark coat and bow tie who looks around sixteen or seventeen. There's no name on it anywhere.

Tintypes weren't made before 1856, so he's roughly sixty years younger than the box his photograph was sitting in.

The story that came with the box is that he's a grandson of Madame Marie Duclos Fretageot (1779-1833). Fretageot was a French teacher who ran a girl's school in Philadelphia before arriving in New Harmony on the Boatload on Knowledge in 1826. She spent the next several years running the schools in town alongside William Maclure. The donor bought the box at an estate sale here in New Harmony, at a house lived in by her descendants, and that's where the connection comes from.

We would like that story to be right, and it may well be. But the sale only tells us the box was in a house belonging to Madame Fretageot's descendants, which isn't the same as saying it came down through the family from Madame. She was ten years old when Louis XVI was executed, and she died in 1833. Houses accumulate things over generations and usually no one keeps records. It's just as easy to picture a New Harmony family buying an old English box from a dealer in the 1870s because they liked the look of it.

The catalog record says what we can support: acquired from a New Harmony household descended from Madame Marie Duclos Fretageot. That keeps the family story attached to the object without our claiming it's settled, and it leaves room for someone to prove more later.

The boy in the picture might be findable. Fretageot's grandchildren can be counted and named, and portraits like this were often made a few at a time, so there may be another print of the same face in an album somewhere. If you recognize him, please let us know!

takes a deeper look at one object from Historic New Harmony's museum collection each month, exploring it through a different lens each week.

🌿Quiet weeks can be the best times to visit New Harmony.Take a guided tour with Historic New Harmony and enjoy the beaut...
09/09/2026

🌿Quiet weeks can be the best times to visit New Harmony.

Take a guided tour with Historic New Harmony and enjoy the beauty, history, and stories of one of America's most unique communities without the hustle and bustle. Wander historic streets, explore local landmarks, and discover the visionaries who helped shape this extraordinary place.

Come spend an hour with us this week. Your next favorite story may be waiting in New Harmony.

🇺🇸 Happy Labor Day from Historic New Harmony!Long before the first Monday in September became Labor Day, New Harmony fou...
09/07/2026

🇺🇸 Happy Labor Day from Historic New Harmony!

Long before the first Monday in September became Labor Day, New Harmony founder Robert Owen was advocating for workers' rights, educational opportunities, and a healthier balance between work and life.

In New Lanark, Scotland, Owen prohibited children under age 10 from working in his mills and established schools for their education. He later brought these ideas to New Harmony, where he helped create one of America's earliest infant schools. After returning to the United Kingdom, Owen continued championing social reform through the growing trade union movement, promoting shorter working hours and an end to child labor.

One of Owen's most enduring ideas was the 8-hour workday. In 1833, he wrote:

"Eight hours daily labour is enough for any human being, and under proper arrangements sufficient to afford an ample supply of food, raiment and shelter, or the necessaries and comforts of life, and for the remainder of his time, every person is entitled to education, recreation and sleep."

As we celebrate Labor Day, we recognize the generations of workers whose efforts helped shape our communities and honor the ongoing importance of fair and humane working conditions.

📷 Men at work on boats in New Harmony, Indiana, June 6, 1914. Photographer once known. Don Blair Collection, University of Southern Indiana Archives and Special Collections.

🔎 Explore the historic photograph: https://library.usi.edu/record/1543037?ln=en&p=work+new+harmony&v=uv #?xywh=-631%2C0%2C4177%2C2162

Please note: In observance of Labor Day, Historic New Harmony's offices and the Atheneum Visitor Center are closed today and will reopen tomorrow.

🧩 Sunday Crossword Challenge: The Boatload of Knowledge Edition! 📚Did you enjoy our first Sunday Crossword challenge fea...
09/06/2026

🧩 Sunday Crossword Challenge: The Boatload of Knowledge Edition! 📚

Did you enjoy our first Sunday Crossword challenge featuring New Harmony? Then get ready for this week's puzzle, inspired by one of the most remarkable journeys in New Harmony's history: the Boatload of Knowledge.

Starting on December 8, 1825, a keelboat carrying an extraordinary group of scientists, educators, artists, and social reformers traveled from Pittsburgh to New Harmony to join Robert Owen's Community of Equality. Nicknamed the "Boatload of Knowledge," this expedition brought together some of the brightest minds of the era, including leaders in education, natural science, and the arts.

The arrival of these talented people helped establish New Harmony as a nationally recognized center for learning, scientific research, and educational innovation. Their ideas, discoveries, and collaborative spirit left a lasting legacy that continues to shape New Harmony's unique place in American history.

How much do you know about the people, places, and ideas connected to this famous voyage? Put your knowledge to the test with this week's crossword challenge!

✅ Try the puzzle yourself
✅ Challenge a friend or family member
✅ Share your score in the comments and tell us which clue was the trickiest

Happy puzzling and exploring of New Harmony's fascinating past!

Link to the online crossword puzzle: https://crosswordlabs.com/embed/boatload-of-knowledge

Address

New Harmony, IN
47631

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 5pm
Thursday 9:30am - 5pm
Friday 9:30am - 5pm
Saturday 9:30am - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+18126824474

Website

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