HOME Harmonist Structures Other Harmonist Structures After the Harmonists Harmonist Society Other Links IUPUI Max Kade German American Center
Historic New Harmony's University of Southern Indiana New Harmony Scientists, Educators, Writers & Artists
Harmony Museum, Old Economy Village, 3rd Settlement of the Harmonie Society |
Other Harmonist StructuresSalomon Wolf HouseThis Harmonist home features a diorama describing the town New Harmony of 1824 through first-hand accounts. It acquaints the visitor with the village of New Harmony as it was in 1824, approximately the time when the town was sold to industrialist Robert O wen.Visitors get a presentation by a computerized, electronically-controlled model of the town of New Harmony and the surrounding countryside as it appeared in 1824. The model is on a scale of 1" to 80' and was produced by Lester Associates of New York. The p resentation lasts 11 minutes and is narrated with excerpts from diaries and journals of visitors to New Harmony in 1824. The accompanying music is Harmonist; it was assembled by Richard Wetzel and sung by his choir from Ohio University at Athens. History: The Wolf House is not on its original site. An identical Harmonist brick home, the Eigner House, once stood there. When the 60-ton Wolf House (ca. 1819-1822) was moved to this site by Historic New Harmony, Inc. in 1975, the bricks had been sand-blasted in order to clean them, but they were crumbling. HNH turned all the bricks around to save them. Salomon Wolf came to America in 1805 on the Margaret; he was a member of the Harmony Society for 36 years. He and his wife, Elizabeth Barbara, ha d five children: George (b. 1796), John (b. 1801), Magdalena (b. 1803), Felix Salomon (b. 1805) and Hilbert Gottlob (b. 1806). In 1822 apparently only Magdalena and Felix Salomon were living in the house with their parents. Salomon Wolf was a shepherd and his house was located next to the sheep barns. He may have also been a veterinarian. Construction: Typical Harmonist brick home, with three rooms on each floor, an attic and a root cellar. The curved brick ledge near the ground on the exterior is for water control; the Harmonists did not have gutters. Water would hit the ledge and splash away from the walls and foundation. Around frame houses they would place stones under the drip line. Grape trellises were also used to divert water.
History: This brick Harmonist house was converted into a changing exhibition gallery in 1990. The house, built ca 1820 was the home of Harmonist shoemaker Matthias Scholle. He was born in 1796 and probably emigrated from Germany with his family in 1808. His father Jacob Scholle was one of the early followers of Rapp. The shoeshop were Scholle worked was located west on Tavern Street. The shoes that he and his fellow shoemakers made were both worn in the town and sold for export. The Scholle House was built as a typical two-story brick Harmonist residence, and appears on the 1824 map of Harmonie, Indiana. It is located on the northeast corner of Tavern and Brewery Streets. The house is placed directly on the corner property lines with its only door facing the side yard, typical of Harmonist siting. The Scholle house is significant as an especially good example of Harmonist construction. It stands at the only intersection in present-day New Harmony where three corners are still oc cupied by Harmonist buildings. It was constructed during the Harmonist period, using the standardized mass-produced parts for which the Harmonists structures are noted. The house demonstrates the skill and ingenuity of the Harmonists through its excellent design and solid construction.
Other structures can still be seen.The Ludwig Epple House, located on 520 Granary Street is privately owned. It is a typical two story frame house and an especially good example of Harmonist construction using standardized, mass produced parts from which the Harmonist structures wer e noted. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The George Bentel House, located on the Northeast corner of Brewery and Granary, is privately owned. Bentel was the Harmonist Society's cooper. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The George Keppler House on Tavern Street was formerly the residence of Harmonist carpenter, Friedrich Weingartner. The Keppler House now contains exhibits on the life and work of first Indiana State Geologist David Dale Owen, who conducted geological surveys of five states from his New Harmony home.
Return to Top of Page
|