An Unknown Treasure: New Harmony Indiana

Lewis and Clark Looking for Salt

We are on the motorcycles on our way to New Harmony, Indiana, on a tip. We stop in Shawnee-town, Illinois, just like Lewis and Clark did. They were trying to buy salt, us just lunch. We had no luck on the latter, but we did find a Mexican restaurant in Mount Vernon, Indiana.

The New Harmony Inn

Shawneetown originally a squatters settlement along the Ohio River until it became an important United States government administrative center for the Northwest Territory. Shawneetown and Washington, D.C., are the only two towns chartered by the United States government. We arrived in New Harmoney at about 3 pm, so we checked in the hotel room and then went exploring.

The Labyrinth in New Harmony

Since we ate lunch late, we just took a walking tour of the town. Our dinner reservations aren't until 8 pm; we decided to take the mile walk down to the Labyrinth. So we walked in circles for 20 minutes or so. The Labyrinth is a round maze with several gates to change the solution. The Labyrinth was created by the Harmonist who settled the town in the early 1800s.

New Harmony

The next day we took a walk thru the River Front Park. Lots of sculptures and Nature. The Wabash Rivers that defines the border between Illinois and Indiana harkens back to a time before flood and irrigation control changed the significant rivers in the nation. New Harmony, with a population of around 800 souls, has more parks and gardens than some major cities.

The Working Mans Institute 

We then went thru the working man's library and got the full scoop on this place. Like the story of many American settlers, the Hamonist left Germany after breaking away from the Lutheran Church. They settled in Pennsylvania. They followed an order of piety and humility, which like the shakers, included no sex or children. They seemed to believe the end of the world was right around the corner. The only thing that ended like the shakers was their group.

Harmonist Deeding the Town

This group left Pennsylvania, starting a religious commune here in Harmony. They built the town from scratch in 1820. There leader Goerge Rappi then decided to abandon the place and returned to Pennsylvania, taking some followers with him. He deeded the town to a Robert Ownes, a free thinker in the new University of Indiana system in 1825.

Some very notable events happened here. The town started the first public school system in Indiana and the first and longest-running library in the state. The school system was unique because it let boys and girls attend together. The town became a haven for intellectuals and artists, it retains this Atmosphere today.

The Roofless Church

Last walk before leaving tomorrow. Went down to the arboretum, then stopped at two meditation gardens. It's been a fun time here in this usual slice of America. It was a quiet weekend without any crowds is was very relaxing.

Shawnee-town Bridge at the Ohio River

Made the run home, going over the Shawnee-Town bridge during the trip. You ride thru 3 states in about 25 minutes; Indiana crossing the Wabash River into Illinois, then from Illinois, crossing the Ohio River into Kentucky. From there, it takes about an hour and a half to get to Tennessee and home. Now I got grass to cut and motorcycles to wash.

Motorcycle Route to New Harmony