Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1890-07-12
THE HARMONY COMMUNITY,
PECULIAR TOWN OF : STRANGE
PEOPLE Or TEE oaIo.
ihs Has44 u Then intercourse Is Han
iLoa! and 90 This End The, Adj
,ola1s CeIIUac

1A - ~ -EA Az
,olate CeiIbacy
ID q Diu1 o~,e.loonAas It's sealrlIul
,alle, OF tie OhIo, eighteen Ia4ies below
flt3s,aIg. Is : peculiar village iuhaolt
Il ~ Z peculiar Eeopie Although pcs
.ess.d u man, millions u dollars the
peoPie aud th<I town as precisely v1e.e
l:lcy wei toIt, yeaIs : E1o1o1~ !.
;l7 I-s1le u tbs town, AID It people az
,alteI the LcoaoEnlre, although rhey
themselves r.efeI u Is auoo1 = liz
Harmony lo1nLo.t,
Ire Harmony coAn11l,, ~a- .o411ea
1: George Rap, Il MS tand CT follow
e. ~LumL7IlnG Lea,ly o1e thousand o
Feb1u4ry IS, 1-g5 al = polCr IL Butler
County, P&1 twenty-five Ill!e= lo7ts
u Pl,15olIz 1eaI what Is 1ow lel3auoA
pie Driven from Germany b, religious
persecution they decided "a binding
themselves IL peTIect harmony and living
only 81 themselves All chen posses
sions we7e t. b held IL conmo1 the pro
.eeas OF tnelI ,-boI to g into one ccn-
10 treasury For ten years shey were
q prospectus aid happy people Uu1 Is
KAN ~ III (AIl Ia 60 ~ tA-
site Of their tow had been ll-au7i:ed.
IS It was twelve nilss from the Allegheny
Rive1
After manure aellpeI4tlol j vas ue-
clded e 20 West 50 thu 5000 aires Of
land AID theiI little town were sold Il
tie spring Of 1915 Ioi 500, 0OU, ana the
colony mo7eoJow ward che setting SUI 1uai-
I---,-chr-c1- 20, El4t 0~-oc r. l--J sri r.
Wabash River ii what i lov Fo.r
County la a ne" fowl q haIinoLy
"as started len years vas spent there, but
the countTw being new was unhsa-rnful
and another move vas decided upon
4 steamboat vas built and the 2TeatrI
portion Of the band Low numbering
about zoo, stated foI the Keystone
State Several points were examined
but finally the location they nov occupy
vas decided upon d vas il 1925.
Some $500 acres OF land vas purchased
and on n commanding plateau fifty 81
more feet above the highest waters Of the
river, the town was laid out and called
Economy
From the very FIRST, the thid ana last
settlements Of the Harmonists vas i SIC
cess. Their cattle Increased, the cIcps
brought forth al hundred fold, ana the
health Of all improved. Thousands OF
grape Wings were planted, and MANY acres
were set out with fruit bearing trees. AS
time rolled on q WOODEN mill Has erected
1t was followed by u cotton mill and q
IouI mill The nouI CT the Icouomites
was always the 0%nltest, the cotton the
purest and the blankets and broadcfoths
were not equaled. It was here that the
nIst silk ever made III the United States
Was produced The silk Sworms were
imported and d factory built and filled
With all tbs necessary machinery, but il
was not i success on account Of the diff
Guilty IL producing the ooooons How
ever, the silk was Of such al excellent
luauty that garments made nearly halt /.
century ago are still to be seen III the
quaint cid town Fifty years ago all
exactly the opposite as can be Il
aglned
The most distlu.LIve IeaIuIe or The It
llgious creed Of these worthy people IS
rheil condemnation OF the married state
and their practice Of oelbacy During
The fist two years ot the society 5 exist
ence 4 number of weddings took place.
solemnlzed by Fathel Rapp himself
among them was that o1 his own sou
john, whose daughter, Gertrude pc
sided at the organ for sixty five yeats.
and died December 29th last. aged
eighty one 7eais IL 1907 there was i
religious revival Ii the community nc
soon after It vas decided that tbs MAI
fled state "a incompatible with the
purity OF the soul which the5 desired t.
attain. They finally decided that those
who had wives should te q those WIS
had lone aud that cellbacv should d
the sine qua non q membership
George Rapp tie founder was Iald al
rest meath the apple trees IL ls47 and
ali his followers are laid with hun except
twenty-seren four having passed away
during the past wear When all Of tbs
original members shall have joi1ed sLz
silent malort; Is but : question q a
exceedingly Snort space or tlILe, aDd II
perpetuation Of the society aud tbs On
hundred millions 81 dollars Il cash
stocks bonds AID manufactures require
deep and mature dellbeIstlon The heir
Of members Who Joined aftei4 Taisius
families outside OF the society threaten I
sue the society Tor I share II II
millions, and i i iLoIe tnaH p.obabl
tLa- the present generation viii w.tIe=
SoLe interesting lawsuits
When George Rapp DIED I-- comm.
- ~ it, --,f . =.