VISITING UTOPIA: HISTORIC VILLAGE OFFERS LOOK AT SOCIETY BASED ON HARMONIC LIFESTYLE

The Antheneum is the starting point for visitors seeking tours of Historic New Harmony. It was built by architect Richard Meier in 1979 and is named for the Greek goddess Athena and means "place of learning."

A mirror in the upstairs men's bedroom of the Lenz House reflects the simplistic lifestyle of the Harmonists. Although they were wealthy, Harmonists lived a plain lifestyle, sleeping on straw- or hay-filled mattresses and bed frames made of rope.

NEW HARMONY, Ind. -- Crossing the Wabash River into New Harmony is a little like stepping back in time. Visitors are greeted by the sights of a quaint community juxtaposed with the Antheneum, a modern-looking visitor's center.

The historic cabins and homes built by the community's first settlers are mingled with the homes of current residents. All of which are surrounded by gardens of flowering plants and scented herbs situated along the shaded, tree-lined streets.

New Harmony sits in a valley near the bend of the Wabash and Ohio rivers. Though it is about 130 miles from Cape Girardeau, the drive is a scenic one through the small communities of Southern Illinois.

New Harmony began as one of the nation's first utopian communities. It was settled by a group called the Harmony Society, which originated in Germany.

The Harmonists were led by former Lutheran minister George Rapp. They believed in living in "harmony" and wanted to imitate the lifestyle of early Christians. The nearly 20,000 members had been persecuted in Germany and immigrated to America in the early 1800s.

After arriving in the new land, they settled in Pennsylvania and built a communal society called Harmonie. After some time, Rapp decided the society needed to move farther west to expand so the group settled in Indiana.

While in Indiana, the Harmonists waited for the second coming of Christ, making their livelihood by manufacturing goods for use in the settlement and trading or selling the surplus. Their best-selling product was whiskey, although the members seldom drank alcohol. They also sold shoes, candles, rope and fabrics. Often they traded with Shaker settlements nearby.

Because the Harmonists survived on profits from manufactured goods, Rapp decided to move the commune back to the East to be closer to shipping ports. He sold the town -- 20,000 acres of land and 180 buildings -- for $225,000 to Robert Owen. In 1825, Rapp moved his followers to a new settlement in Pennsylvania named Economy. The Harmonists eventually died out in the early 1900s because of a belief in chastity and celibacy.

When Owen bought Harmony, he renamed the community New Harmony. It was his intention -- with the help of a partner, William Maclure -- to create a utopian settlement of educators, scientists and artists.

Many of those people settled in the town, arriving on a keelboat named the Philanthropist. It was also referred to as the "boatload of knowledge." The new group of settlers also were interested in social reforms. Owen liked the ideas of free education, the elimination of social classes and wealth.

New Harmony became a site of scientific study and research well into the Civil War, despite the fact that Owen's utopian experiment failed after only two years. Many of the scientists, including Thomas Say and Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, continued to work from New Harmony after the utopian experiment ended.

New Harmony is now a community of 850 or so residents with a thriving tourism industry. Most of the town's 30,000 to 32,000 annual visitors arrived during the early spring and fall, said Adam Conyers, a native of New Harmony, who also works as a tour guide at the visitor's center.

Heritage Week, a weeklong event featuring working crafts and demonstrations is popular with school groups. In the fall, the Kunstfest highlights the German history of the town.

Guided tours of the town range from $3 to $8 and begin at 9:30 a.m. A short film is shown at the beginning of each tour and explains the history of New Harmony. A self-guided walking tour of the community also is available.

But the history of New Harmony isn't its only attraction. The town offers several exhibits at the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art, as well as acting troupes and summer theater at Murphy Auditorium. Antique shops, crafts and art galleries also abound. A garden shop sells many of the herbs and plants first grown by the Harmonists. Several bed and breakfast inns are in town, many in historic homes.

For those who tire of historical ramblings, the Roofless Church and Cathedral Labyrinth and Sacred Garden offer spots for quiet meditation. The church was built as an outdoor place of prayer for all people. It is essentially a garden area surrounded by a brick wall. Nearby at the sacred garden, the sound of trickling water offers a sense of calm and serenity as visitors walk the labyrinth. The labyrinth was designed as a replica of the labyrinth at Chartres, France. A larger maze constructed from hedgerows is just south of town and dedicated to the memory of the Harmonists and their difficult struggle to reach perfect harmony.

Harmonie State Park, four miles south of town, has hiking trails and camp sites along the banks of the Wabash River. Cabins are also available for rentals.

For information about tours and activities at Historic New Harmony, contact the visitors center at (812) 682-4488.