Harmony Historic District
National Historic Landmark

Harmony Historic District

Harmony, Butler County, Pennsylvania
Listed
March 20, 1973
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
73002139

About this property

The Harmony Historic District encompasses the first early 19th century settlement of the Harmony Society, in what is now Harmony, Butler County, Pennsylvania, USA. It covers an area two blocks wide, extending north from German Road to Conoquenessing Creek between Liberty and Wood Streets. The area retains a number of buildings dating to the original settlement period, and was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1974. The Harmony Society was founded in what is now Germany in 1785 by Johann Georg Rapp. Meeting with opposition from the dominant Lutheran Church, Rapp and his followers emigrated to North America, and purchased the land in Butler County where the community of 200 families founded Harmony in 1805. The utopian community was run as a communist theocracy, with Rapp and later his son as its leading figure. The Harmonist community was successful, growing to about 700 by 1814, when Rapp's son Frederick established a new settlement in the Indiana Territory, now New Harmony, Indiana. They eventually moved back to Pennsylvania, settling Economy in 1825, and died out as an organization in 1905. The surviving elements of the early Harmonist settlement include a grid of streets in the heart of the modern town of Harmony, and a number of primarily brick buildings in that area. The district includes ten contributing buildings and one contributing site. Principal among these are the George Rapp House, Great House or Bentle Building (c. 1811), Langenbacher House (c. 1805), Harmonist Church (1808), The "Stohr," Beam Hotel, Frederick Rapp House, Schmitt House, Jacob Neff House (c.1807), Schreiber House, Wagner House, and Mueller House. The original Harmonist Cemetery contains the unmarked graves of 100 early Harmonists. List of National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places listings in Butler County, Pennsylvania Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) No. PA-11, "Village of Harmony, Butler County, PA", 17 data pages

Location

Harmony, Butler County, Pennsylvania
40.80373, -80.12835

Categories

SOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
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Literature
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Harmony Mennonite Meetinghouse and Cemetery
Industrial
0.4 mi
Passavant House
Early Republic
0.9 mi
Clow, James Beach, House
Industrial
7 mi
Preston Laboratories
Industrial
9.8 mi
McConnell's Mill Covered Bridge
Industrial
10.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Harmony Historic District listed on the National Register?

Harmony Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 20, 1973.

What type of historic resource is Harmony Historic District?

Harmony Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Harmony Historic District a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Harmony Historic District has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Harmony Historic District?

The period of significance for Harmony Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Harmony Historic District?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Harmony Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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