My name is Vicki Aud. I decided to show Sarah the town of New Harmony. We left on Friday, September 30, 2011. I know this town very well. I use to work there by cleaning some of the restaurants, homes and rooms at the Inn. My husband, John, and my son, Logan, both wanted to join us on our journey. Sarah traveled 180 miles round trip. The coordinates for the trip are Latitude: N 38.128625 and Longitude: W -87.938965 We drove in my Pontiac G6 to New Harmony and then we walked between sites.
New Harmony is the site of two of America's great utopian communities. The first, Harmonie on the Wabash in 1814, was founded by the Harmony Society, a group of Separatists from the German Lutheran Church. The town was transformed by one of the owners, Robert Owen, buying the land of the other. The town has many Harmonist (1814-1824) buildings and 12 early 19th century buildings and 20 from mid-19th century, Gardens, a reconstructed Harmonist Labyrinth, a museum, library, gallery, Thrall’s Opera House, Murphy Auditorium, Beal House, log cabins, Roofless Church, and a theater. The New Harmony Inn has a Conference Center that offers the comforts of city-living in a rural setting. The town's unique history comes alive on guided tours offered to 15 historic sites which begin at the Atheneum/Visitor Center.
The day was gorgeous with perfect weather. My family decided to walk around New Harmony to various sites. This allowed Sarah to stretch her legs from the long car ride. We began our journey at the New Harmony Inn. I showed everyone where I had formerly worked. Then we visited the Roofless Church, some log cabins, and a garden/labyrinth. Then we walked to the Visitor Center. We took time at the Atheneum/Visitor Center. Sarah ran freely on the huge lawn before entering inside. There is a museum display and educational signs and maps describing the history of New Harmony. We watched a 20 minute film informing us about the history of New Harmony. We learned that world-renowned scientists and educators settled in New Harmony. New Harmony is also the site of the early headquarters of the U.S. Geological Survey and provided the earliest geological and natural science collections for the beginnings of the Smithsonian Institute. From 1830 until 1860 New Harmony was one of the most important training and research centers for the study of geology in America.
Sarah posed for some fun photos to share with everyone and then took a small nap in the sun before the long journey home. We all had a great day together.
URL: http://www.newharmony.org
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