EstablishedCLM-0127 · checked 2026-10-23
Robert Owen bought the town of Harmony, Indiana, from the Harmony Society in 1825 and renamed it New Harmony to found a community of equality.[1]
Closed / failedHybrid
New Harmony (Owenite community)
An Owenite community of equality founded in 1825 at a former Harmony Society town in Indiana, with William Maclure's backing. It was reorganised repeatedly and failed as a communal venture by 1827, leaving a scientific and educational legacy.
38.13° N · 87.94° W · Town of New Harmony, Posey County, Indiana
- Location
- Town of New Harmony, Posey County, Indiana
- Operating since
- 1825
- Governance
- Hybrid
- Legal status
- Recognised
- Economy
- Commons / communal
- Autonomy level
- Program within an existing state
- Uses AI in governance
- No
Robert Owen, a Welsh industrialist from New Lanark, bought the Wabash River town of Harmony in January 1825 and invited "any and all" to join. The town had been built by George Rapp's Harmony Society, which moved to Pennsylvania in 1824. A May 1825 preliminary constitution gave government to a committee of four members chosen by Owen and three elected. William Maclure and a group of educators and scientists arrived in January 1826, and a constitution of the Community of Equality followed in February, with six departments and superintendents. Splinter groups formed, the settlement was divided into several societies, and by March 1827 the communal experiment was judged a failure. Owen's sons stayed, and the town became known for science, schools and a library.
Timeline
- 1814The Harmony Society under George Rapp founds the town of Harmony on the Wabash River. [S1]Established
- Jan 1825Robert Owen buys the town and renames it New Harmony; a preliminary constitution is adopted in May. [S1]Established
- Feb 1826Maclure's group arrives on the keelboat Philanthropist in January; the Community of Equality constitution is adopted on 5 February. [S1]Established
- Mar 1827After several reorganisations the communal experiment is regarded as a failure by March. [S1]Established
- 1829The community is dissolved and its land and property return to private use. [S1]Established
- 1838William Maclure founds the Working Men's Institute, whose library still operates. [S1]Established
Mechanisms in use
Outcomes & controversies
The communal phase lasted about two years, but the town became a centre of science and education: Maclure's schools open to boys and girls, a press, geological surveys by Owen's sons, and the Working Men's Institute library founded in 1838.
Post-mortem
Accounts differ. Robert Dale Owen blamed a mixed membership and equal remuneration for unequal work; Josiah Warren blamed the lack of individual sovereignty and private property. Historians also cite shortages of skilled workers, unclear government and Owen's attacks on religion. Property returned to private use by 1829.
Claims
EstablishedCLM-0128 · checked 2026-10-23
The community adopted a preliminary constitution (May 1825) and a Community of Equality constitution (February 1826), split into several societies, and was regarded as failed by March 1827.[1]
DisputedCLM-0129 · checked 2026-10-23
Explanations for the failure conflict: Robert Dale Owen blamed unselected members and equal pay for unequal work, Josiah Warren blamed the absence of individual sovereignty and private property, and historians add Owen's religious controversies.[1]
EstablishedCLM-0130 · checked 2026-10-23
William Maclure's educators and scientists, who arrived in 1826, made New Harmony a centre of science and education; schools open to boys and girls and a library were established.[1]