George Rapp’s Coat and Cap

Posted by on Apr 19, 2016 in | Comments Off on George Rapp’s Coat and Cap Silk was all the rage in America during the 1820s and 1830s. Initially imported from Europe, silk fabric was used in men’s suits, women’s dresses and miscellaneous household articles. The Harmony Society, always at the forefront of industry at the time, added silk manufacturing to its long list of enterprises shortly after the religious communal group settled in 1825 at their last home in...
read more

Old Economy Village

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Old Economy Village Step back into another era – and a vastly different place – by visiting Old Economy Village in Ambridge, Beaver County. Founded in 1824 by visionary George Rapp (1757-1847), the village was the third and final settlement of the Harmony Society, one of the country’s most successful religious communal societies. The Harmonists were well known for their industriousness, piety, and...
read more

Shorts

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Shorts Continuing at the Library Company of Philadelphia through Thursday, November 25 [1999], is “Ardent Sprits: The Origins of the American Temperance Movement,” featuring books, prints, broadsides, sheet music, and manuscripts spanning the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The American Temperance Movement called for moderation and even abstention in the use of alcohol. The longest and...
read more

Executive Director’s Message

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on Executive Director’s Message Caring for museum collections is one of the less visible, but among the most critical, functions of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The recent acquisition of a rare Conestoga wagon by our Landis Valley Museum in Lancaster County reminds us of our responsibility to allocate resources carefully and preserve the objects and artifacts that reflect our rich heritage. The wagon was...
read more

Garden Temple at Old Economy Village

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on Garden Temple at Old Economy Village One of the earliest gardens in the United States, the garden at Old Economy Village in Ambridge, Beaver County, symbolized the Garden of Eden for the Harmony Society, which occupied the complex from 1824 until it was dissolved in 1905. The nineteenth-century Christian community, best known for its piety and industrial prosperity, was founded by George Rapp (1757-1847) who believed that the...
read more

The Value of Pennsylvania History

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on The Value of Pennsylvania History George W. Bush won the presidential election of 2000 because the fifty states cast more electoral votes for him, even though more people actually voted for his opponent, Albert A. Gore Jr. The election reminded Americans about a curious institution called the Electoral College, and an equally peculiar system known as federalism in which each state conducts elections according to distinct laws...
read more

PHMC Highlights

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on PHMC Highlights PHMC staff members Amanda Shafer, webmaster, Karen Galle, historic preservation specialist and coordinator of the state historical marker program, and Dean E. Winkelspecht, data applications developer, completed several important improvements and upgrades to PHMC’s Web site. A new state historical marker database includes improved graphic design along with options to browse or search for...
read more

Extreme Makeover: History Edition

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Extreme Makeover: History Edition Extreme might be a hyperbole but the current restoration of the interior of the Rapp House at Old Economy Village in Ambridge, Beaver County, is a significant undertaking nevertheless. The project will provide a substantive update to the initial restoration work in the 1960s. Old Economy Village presents the remarkable story of the Harmony Society, a Christian communal group with roots in what...
read more

Harness Loom at Old Economy Village

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Harness Loom at Old Economy Village In the nineteenth century, the Harmony Society provided many necessities for its members, including clothing such as wool and cotton coats, dresses, shirts, and trousers. Along with their wine, beer, and whiskey industries, the Harmonists, who settled Old Economy Village, Ambridge, Beaver County, in 1824, relied on textile manufacturing to generate money for outside investments. They produced...
read more

Exploring the Pennsylvania Energy Trail of History

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Exploring the Pennsylvania Energy Trail of History Pennsylvania’s vast natural resources helped fuel the growth and development of both state and nation, spawning innumerable advances in transportation, industry, technology, and science. These resources propelled an economy that supported generations of men and women. The Pennsylvania Trails of History, a network of historic sites and museums administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and...
read more