The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1886-03-04
The Hnr,non;sis end their Wealth

In Beaver county, Pa, and near the
Ohio river is located wealthy COM
munity known rs the Harmonists. The
founder CT the society. George Bay,
was born near Winlenburg in 1870.
dc believed he had Z divine call to re-
store the Christian religion to its origi-
nal purity, and he organiZea a colony
with goods and chattels in common.
| Some trouble with the Government
caused the removal of the colony to
/ the United States in 1893, and settle
E,ent was made in Batter county, Pa.
IN 1915 tic community removed in q
body to New Earmony, in Indiana, and
purchased q, 900 acres of land on the
Wabash river. At this place the CONF
mnn!lv prospered in worldly goods,
anu their mode OF living and peculiar
views attracted gcod deal of attcn-
ton, and the New Harmony people
were The subject OF numerous newspa-
per articles.
In 1924, ior some cause, the cornmu-
nifty sold lis POSSESSIONS 1T New Har-
mony aud returned 10 Pennsylvania.
They then located in Beaver county,
on the Ohio river. where they purchased
5000 acres of land and built the town
of Economy. 4 correspondent of the
New York star SAYS OF tie peculiar
people, that "nct believing in marriage,
'hey ali live together as brothers and
sisters and practice the strictest moral
;t.v. In lS2s the question of marriage
was t:ie leading one ia the community,
and about aUO members Withdrew be-
cause They favored marriages, aTd es-
tablished the town of Phiiipsburg. But
the new colony did not prosper, and
alter q few years Of struggling they
sold out and disba'itled, dividing the
proceeds OF their sale equally among
all t;,e members. In the meantime
the HarmoniSts were gradually bccom-
ing more and mere wealthy, until ut
present they own jointly and il COM
mon lands, stocks. bonds and herds,
the value of which is estimated at So
COO, 0o0. Besides owning all OF Econo-
my and large part of Beaver. they
own an entire county in Dakota, in the
valley OF the Red river of the North"
1t is said that this community built
and equipped out OF its surplus money
the Pittsburg and Lake Erie Road from
Pittsburg to Youngstown, which was
afterward sold to the Vanderbiits. 1t
is a matter of history that at the time
the war broke out. in 1861, they con-
vcrted all their bonds and available
property into money and buried it, U.s.
ing the treasure aitcrward in paying
for the building of the railroad. The
payments thus made put in circulation
an immense amount OF silver. many of
the pieces dating back to 1900.
The community has been for years
gradually diminishing in numbers un-
I'll now il consists OF only thirteen men
and forty women. They are all ad-
vanced in years. and, as their laws are
strict against marriage, the. people of |
Pennsylvania are beginning to calcu-
late how long it will be before the $75,-
00o,0oO will be the property of the
State. BY the community laws, as
long as three of them hold together the |
property is to remain intact, but when |
one of the last three dies the other two |
leave, and, as there are no heirs, the |
goes to the State.
Alter those who advocated matrimo-
ny ieit the society, the younger MEM
bers OF the community, of different
sexes, manifested some disposition to
b. social together; aad the President of
the community twenty years ago ima-
ginod that there was too much famili-
arity between The young men and maid
ems. and SO promulgated an order
that all females appearing on the
streets after dark must carry lanterns,
but still the morry-making continued.
no lanterns appeared. This
caused an investigation. which devel-
oped the fact that the worthy old gem
llcman had neglected to direct that tho
should be lighted. The Har-
monis,s are all old people now, SO the
President has never aincnded his order.
lor directed that the lanterns should
Je lighted. .-!tocaesie" Eea;ocrGs