harmony museum

Have lived in western Pennsylvania most of my life. I had heard of the history of the town, just had never taken the time to stop and look around. They had a nice display of original artifacts from the town. Had a nice and chatty tour guide, they also had a special civil war display going on as well. It wasn't as detailed as we had hoped, but the rest of the museum made up for it. Definitely worth a stop if your in the area.

For the many Americans who can claim German ancestry, this is an especially important and fascinating site. In addition to the story of George Rapp and the Harmony Society, the museum includes many artifacts of daily life in early Pennsylvania. I wish we had had more time to explore other sites in the area related to the Harmonists as well. Personally it meant a great deal to me to visit, as in college I had worked for the foremost authority on this utopian society, Dr. Karl J. R. Arndt. My husband, who had no prior knowledge, thoroughly enjoyed our visit as well.

Starting at the gift shop we met Judy who was a wealth of information. She explained a lot about the town and the residents who originally came from Germany as separatists. There was a guided tour, but we were so well informed by Judy that we did not need to spend money for the tour. Next we went to the Ziegler house which is now a craft and art boutique owned and operated by a local lawyer and his wife. He was very informative in the history of the town as well and was on the historical society board. In one room of the house the original flooring could be seen which was actually in his office. Also the window ledge of one window was restored In traditional fashion. He pointed out that the entrance door of the original house used to be offset. However after it was sold and taken over by the Mennonites an addition was added to make the door center of the building. Well worth stopping to see the town.

Message from our President, John Ruch. Thank you for commenting. We at Historic Harmony work hard to assure Harmony Museum tours and its many events are satisfying experiences, and visitor comments are especially helpful in this regard. We're proud that reviews generally reflect success for our independent, nonprofit, largely volunteer operation. We manage nine sites, raise all of our operating funds and receive no governmental financial support. Regarding the comparison of our museum with Old Economy Village: Harmony Museum interprets the entirety of a rich local history, including but not limited to the Harmony Society, while state-owned Old Economy Village addresses only the communal society. Harmony is a living community of people and businesses, the heart of which comprises a National Historic Landmark District of more than 50 privately owned structures. Guided tours of three Museum buildings cover 260 years of history. As you learned during your visit, it began with a Delaware Indian village where George Washington spent a night in his run-up to sparking the French and Indian War (first shot fired at him nearby). The communal Harmony Society that founded Harmony was here for only 10 of those years. Mennonites then became an important part of the story, as did two oil-and-gas booms, gunsmith Charles Flowers, the B&O and Harmony Line railroads and more. Visitors can get a free self-guided walking tour map at the Museum or Museum Shop, go on their own to the Harmonist and Mennonite cemeteries and Vineyard Hill's Rapp's Seat, and by advance reservation arrange a lengthy guided walking tour as well as access to the Museum's Harmonist-Mennonite barn and Mennonite meetinghouse. Harmony also has a variety of retail attractions for visitors, from art gallery and bakery to antiques and clothing, in historic buildings around the Museum, a fine restaurant (soon to reopen after renovation) and a coffee shop. Old Economy Village is a 17-building museum on six fenced acres, owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and its operations sustained largely by taxpayers. It occupies part of a National Historic Landmark District. Its Visitor Center/archives is two blocks from the Village entrance, access to which is also by guided tour that typically includes four or five of the site's buildings. The presentation is solely on the Harmony Society, especially its mid-19th century peak. The Harmony Museum and Old Economy Village do in fact work together to promote visits to both sites. Regarding admission charges, we believe Harmony Museum tour fees -- two-thirds of those at Old Economy Village -- are quite reasonable in comparison with those of other popular Pittsburgh-area history museums. Do come back to Harmony. Call ahead to schedule a guided walking tour and to see the Museum's several outlying sites, take time to visit the shops, enjoy a meal or snack, perhaps use the borough's hike-bike trail. The museum, Harmony Borough and merchants sponsor events throughout the year.John RuchPresident

The Harmony Museum appreciates your review. We try hard to please museum visitors by informing them about Harmony's truly rich and unique history.

It is a place where special events in Harmony take place and was used for our dance lessons until last year.

We stumbled upon this museum accidentally and were so glad we stopped. I am fascinated by American history, particularly the history of places that were settled as religious communities long ago (such as Shaker villages and the like). In this case, Harmony was settled by German immigrants in the early 1800s who wished to live without religious persecution. Since they were also celibate (like the Shakers) they eventually died out in the early 1900s. The museum provides an interesting history of this group. The folks at the museum were welcoming, friendly, well-informed, and knew lots of interesting tidbits about the "Harmonites" and the way they lived. We were very glad we stopped. If you like American history and a glimpse of how people lived years ago, stop by the museum.

Harmony has several wonderful events throughout the year for folks to enjoy. The German Dinner, a German Christmas Market (my personal favorite!) and a Sylvester Celebration to name only a few. Now they also have a "Weavers Cabin" to teach visitors about how the Harmonists were noted for their sheep, wool and fine weaving. They also spin yarn and have items for sale.(spinning and weaving classes are available for those who would like to learn). The hand-made Alpaca rugs are divine on bare feet! Give yourself time to walk through town and see the sights-do a bit of shopping in the bakery, Bottlebrush Gallery or Museum shop (among others!). Check their webpage for events when they'll fire up the outdoor oven and make pizza.

History of german immigrants who settled there. Their "order" was led by Father Rapp. Came to the US for the freedom of religion. Their craft festival was a good time

Early German settlement . Nice, but limited in quantity of items. However, the quality and accuracy of the artifacts are nice.

We got to the German dinner every time they have it which is normally three times a year. All the local women get together and prepare an authentic German meal. Spatzle, schnitzel, potato pancakes, homemade desserts...it's all good! You sit at long cafeteria style tables and you meet some really nice people.

Very small museum concerning the original settlement of Father Rapp. Interesting cemetery with pivoting stone gate nearby. Small town, one street, a few old buildings. Most stores closed.

Went with a group that ranged in age from 3 yrs to 85 yrs. We all found something - history and fun!

Harmony è stata la prima sede dell’Harmony Society di Georg Rapp, un gruppo di teosofi cristiani pacifisti, fondato a Iptingen e fuggito a inizio Ottocento dalla Germania, dove era in urto con la chiesa luterana, per fondare una comune in Pennsylvania. Dopo una decina d’anni la comunità si spostò in Indiana vendendo la città ai Mennoniti. Attualmente il museo di Harmony ricorda la storia della città ma se si vuole avere una visione più completa dello stile di vita della comunità Harmonita è consigliabile visitare anche la vicina Economy (ora Ambridge) che è stata la loro ultima sede e conserva molte strutture interessanti.

Das Harmony Museum in Harmony, PA ist zwar relativ klein, aber trotzdem einen Besuch wert - gerade für deutsche Touristen, da Harmony u.a. mit seiner "German Street" eine weit zurückgehende deutsche Vergangenheit besitzt. Deshalb sollte das Harmony Museum als kleiner Teil eines Ganzen gesehen werden.