NEW HARMONY, Ind. (AP) - The historic southwestern Indiana town of New Harmony turns 200 years old this year.
New Harmony was built in August 1814 by a group of German Lutherans who called themselves Harmonists.
Historian and tour guide Jan Kahle says New Harmony has a unique design because the Harmonists were a communal society and built their town to accomplish effective communal living. When they first arrived, the group of about 800 built every family a one room log cabin around the edge of the town. They laid out streets in a grid, then built churches, stables, shops and other buildings.
The town has designed and built a “Bicentennial Home.” If its modern conveniences are taken away, the home’s footprint is almost identical to the homes the original settlers lived in.
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Information from: Evansville Courier & Press, https://www.courierpress.com
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