George Rapp

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Johann Georg Rapp (= George Rapp) 1757-1847.

George Rapp (November 1, 1757 – August 7, 1847) was the founder of the sect of Harmonists, or Harmonites.

Born in Iptingen, Germany, Rapp was inspired by the philosophy of Jakob Boehme, who had lived during the 17th century. In the 1780's George Rapp began to gather a group of followers. His group officially split with the Lutheran Church in 1785 and was promptly banned from meeting. Many of Rapp's beliefs were shared by the Anabaptist movement. By 1798 Rapp and his group of followers had already begun to distance themselves from main stream society. In the Lomersheimer Declaration, written in 1798, Rapp's followers refused to serve in the military and attend Lutheran schools. In 1803, when the government began to persecute Rapp's followers, he decided to move the entire group to the United States. The initial move scattered the followers and reduced Rapp's original group of 20,000 to many fewer persons. In 1804 Rapp was able to secure a large tract of land in Pennsylvania and started his first commune there. This first commune soon grew to a population of about 800, and was highly profitable. In 1814 the first town was sold for 10 times the amount originally paid for the land, and the entire cummune moved out west to Indiana where it became known as Harmony. Ten years after the move to Indiana the commune moved again, this time it returned to Pennsylvania and became known as Economie. The Indiana settlement was sold to Robert Owen, at which point it was renamed to New Harmony, Indiana. George Rapp lived out his remaining days in the town of Economie until August 7, 1847 when he died at the age of 90. The commune ultimately failed because the policy of celibacy prevented new members from within, and the majority of the outside world had no desire to give up so much to live in a commune. The society officially disbanded in 1904.

On a hill in Harmony, situated above the Connoquenessing Creek sits a seat carved in stone. This seat was used by Rapp to watch over to commune members in their daily lives. Thanks to local Boy Scout Troop 457 (Zelienople, PA), a set of steps were built leading up the the seat.