Hedge Labyrinth - New Harmony, IN
Posted by: YoSam.
N 38° 07.358 W 087° 56.145
16S E 417979 N 4219835
Symbolic attempt to overcome the issues of life.
Waymark Code: WM109FB
Location: Indiana, United States
Date Posted: 03/26/2019
Views: 2
County of site: Posey County
Location of site: Main St., S. limits of New Harmony
Marker erected by: Indiana Historical Bureau and Workingman's Institute
"In each of their three towns (Harmony, Pennsylvania 1805-1815; Harmony, IN 1815-1825; and Economy, Pennsylvania 1825-1905) along with churches, homes, and businesses, the Harmonists built a labyrinth. Most people today know of the Harmony Society labyrinths from the example at New Harmony, IN. That labyrinth is a 1939 recreation of the original labyrinth that was built, in what was then called Harmony, around 1815. Because their labyrinths were made of plant materials, they disintegrated without the constant care of the Harmony Society members; hence there is no original Harmony Society labyrinth in existence.
"The labyrinth at New Harmony was made according to an architectural drawing in the Harmony Society archives of the original labyrinth. The grotto in the centre is a re-creation of the only existing grotto of the Harmony Society, still in relatively good shape in Economy, Pennsylvania. The labyrinth was an important symbol for the Harmony Society as it represented, in physical form, the philosophy and beliefs that were the basis of their entire commune." ~ Visit New Harmony