Zoar Historic District - Zoar OH - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Hhe Zoar Historic District is exceptional example of an early nineteenth-century communal utopian society. Zoar, the only permanent home the Society of Separatists had in the United States, clearly conveys the founding, successful development, and eventual dissolution of the Society of Separatists, a nationally significant communal utopian society. Founded during the nineteenth century, a period which witnessed an explosion in the creation of religious and secular utopias and communal societies, Zoar became a communal society within two years of its founding.

The settlement created by the Society of Separatists of Zoar in 1817 was distinctive – a German village established in the middle of rural northeastern Ohio, complete with separate customs, traditions, religious beliefs, and its own architecture. With the exception of the Shakers, these German societies had the greatest durability and the most significant influence on American utopian societies overall, with Zoar being one of the most successful and influential. Under the able leadership of Joseph Bimeler (Baumeler), the community prospered and upon Bimeler’s death in 1853 the society’s holdings were valued at more than a million dollars. However, waning idealism and internal dissention during the second half of the century led to the dissolution of the society in 1898.

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Street address: Bounded by 5th, Foltz, and 1st Sts. and by rear property lines of properties Zoar, OH County / Borough / Parish: Tuscarawas Year listed: 1969 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1875-1899, 1850-1874, 1825-1849, 1800-1824 Historic function: Commerce/Trade,Domestic Current function: Commerce/Trade,Domestic Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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