Editing New Harmony, Indiana (section)

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = New Harmony, Indiana
| settlement_type    = Town
| nickname           = 
| image_skyline      = Downtown new harmony indiana.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = Downtown New Harmony
| image_seal         = NewHarmonyINseal.png
| image_map          = File:Posey County Indiana Incorporated and Unincorporated areas New Harmony Highlighted 1852974.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location of New Harmony in Posey County, Indiana.
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = [[United States]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Indiana]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Indiana|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Posey County, Indiana|Posey]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[List of townships in Indiana|Township]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Harmony Township, Posey County, Indiana|Harmony]]
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| established_date   = 1814
| population_footnotes = <ref name ="wwwcensusgov"/>
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_total   = 690
| population_est     = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_note    = 
| population_density_sq_mi = 923.93
| population_density_km2 = 356.82
| timezone           = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset         = -6
| timezone_DST       = [[North American Central Time Zone|CDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = -5
<!-- Area -->| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_18.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 16, 2020}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 2.13
| area_land_km2      = 2.11
| area_water_km2     = 0.02
| area_total_sq_mi   = 0.82
| area_land_sq_mi    = 0.81
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.01
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft       = 377
| coordinates        = {{coord|38|7|44|N|87|55|49|W|region:US-IN|display=inline,title}}<ref name=gnis/>
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 47631
| area_code          = [[Area code 812|812]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 18-52974<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2396802<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2396802}}</ref>
| footnotes          = 
| website            = {{URL|http://www.newharmony-in.gov}}
}}
'''New Harmony''' is a historic town on the [[Wabash River]] in [[Harmony Township, Posey County, Indiana|Harmony Township]], [[Posey County, Indiana|Posey County]], [[Indiana]].<ref name=gnis/> It lies {{convert|15|mi|km}} north of [[Mount Vernon, Indiana|Mount Vernon]], the [[county seat]], and is part of the [[Evansville, IN-KY Metropolitan Statistical Area|Evansville metropolitan area]]. The town's population was 690 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].

Established by the [[Harmony Society]] in 1814 under the leadership of [[George Rapp]],<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=New Harmony |volume=19 |page=498}}</ref> the town was originally known as Harmony (also called Harmonie, or New Harmony).<ref name=EB1911/> In its early years the {{convert|20,000|acre|ha|adj=on}} settlement was the home of [[Lutheran]]s who had separated from the official church in the [[Duchy of Württemberg]] and immigrated to the United States.<ref>{{cite book|author=Donald Pitzer|title=New Harmony Then and Now|date=2012|publisher=Quarry Books|location=601 North Morton Street|isbn=978-0-253-35645-1|pages=16–17}}</ref> The Harmonists built a new town in the wilderness, but in 1824 they decided to sell their property and return to [[Pennsylvania]].<ref>Karl J. R. Arndt, ''A Documentary History of the Indiana Decade of the Harmony Society, 1814&ndash;1824'' (Indianapolis: [[Indiana Historical Society]], 1975) 1:xi.</ref> [[Robert Owen]], a [[Wales|Welsh]] industrialist and social reformer, purchased the town in 1825 with the intention of creating a new [[utopian community]] and renamed it New Harmony. The [[Owenism|Owenite]] [[social experiment]] failed two years after it began.<ref name=Boom>Ray E. Boomhower, "New Harmony: Home to Indiana's Communal Societies," ''Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History'' 14(4):36&ndash;37.</ref>

New Harmony changed American education and scientific research. Town residents established the first public library, a civic drama club, and a public school system open to men and women. Its prominent citizens included Owen's sons: [[Robert Dale Owen]], an Indiana congressman and social reformer who sponsored legislation to create the [[Smithsonian Institution]]; [[David Dale Owen]], a noted state and federal geologist; William Owen, a New Harmony businessman; and [[Richard Owen (geologist)|Richard Owen]],<ref name=EB1911/> Indiana state geologist, Indiana University professor, and first president of [[Purdue University]]. The town also served as the second headquarters of the [[United States Geological Survey|U.S. Geological Survey]]. Numerous scientists and educators contributed to New Harmony's intellectual community, including [[William Maclure]], [[Marie Louise Duclos Fretageot]], [[Thomas Say]], [[Charles-Alexandre Lesueur]], [[Joseph Neef]], [[Frances Wright]], and others.

Many of the town's old Harmonist buildings have been restored. These structures, along with others related to the Owenite community, are included in the [[New Harmony Historic District]]. Contemporary additions to the town include the [[Roofless Church]] and [[New Harmony's Atheneum|Atheneum]].<ref name=Boom/> The New Harmony State Memorial is located south of town on [[Indiana State Road 69|State Road 69]] in [[Harmonie State Park]].

[[File:New Harmony, Indiana.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Photo from Small Town Indiana photo survey]]