Historic New Harmony replanting Harmonist orchard for community project

The University of Southern Indiana's Historic New Harmony plans to replant Harmonist Orchard in a community-funded project in honor of the generous support that Jeremy Efroymson and the Efroymson Family Fund (EFF) have given organizations in southwestern Indiana. Efroymson and the EFF have exceeded $1 million in cumulative giving for the betterment of our area and organizations.

The Harmonist Orchard extended through the Harmonist Cemetery and all the way to the campus of the Atheneum, marked by the large wooden rail fence and as far as South Street. The Harmonist Orchard included not only grape vines, but also fruit-producing trees like apple, pear and sour cherry trees. For this effort, the land directly across from the Atheneum and lined by North Street and the Harmonist Cemetery was selected and prepared for the replanting.

"It was an honor to connect with all of these wonderful people and entities and craft this 'thank you' project to Jeremy Efroymson and the Efroymson Family Fund," said Dan Mason, Assistant Director of Historic New Harmony. "Their generous support, willingness to take a chance on a project and their passion for our corner of Indiana-especially relative to the arts, culture and preservation-is invaluable and endlessly appreciated. The Harmonist Orchard is a symbol of growth, quality of life, history, and natural beauty and it will be beautiful in just a few years as the trees mature."

The trees will be planted in the fall in the Harmonist grid and placement detailed in the Weingartner Map. The Weingartner Map, which depicts New Harmony, Indiana, was drawn from memory by Wallrath Weingartner in 1832, seven or eight years after the Harmony Society had returned to Pennsylvania. Though other contemporaneous maps exist, it is the only one that depicts the physical appearance and locations of the buildings and orchard in 1824.

For this first phase, fifteen sour cherry trees were planted and when mature the blooms will further add to both the beauty of the space and New Harmony. Sour cherry trees were chosen because they were used by the Harmonists to produce wine and the long-term maintenance is lower than other fruit trees that the Harmonists planted.

After much research, the variety of sour cherry tree selected was Prunus cerasus (or Amarelle), a sour cherry from Europe. Not only is this variety "of the period," it was also detailed as being used by Prince Maximilian in his 1832 account while staying in New Harmony.

This community project was funded by the following entities and individuals:

• John and Deborah Busch
• Garden Club of New Harmony
• Harmonie Associates
• Historic New Harmony Association of Interpreters
• Hoosier Salon/Dr. George and Peggy Rapp
• The Lora Arneberg Charitable Fund
• Raymond and Barbara McConnell
• The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of Indiana
• New Harmony Business Associates
• The New Harmony Project
• The Kent and Laurie Parker Family Foundation
• Kent and Suzy Schuette
• Stephen's Episcopal Church
• USI Foundation
• Connie Weinzapfel
• The Working Men's Institute

Additional thanks to USI Associate Professor of Anthropology Dr. Mike Strezewski, the World Languages and Cultures Department, the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, the Department of Natural Resources and local arborist Tom Guggenheim for helping craft a thoughtful and respectful approach for this project on this beautiful and historic site.

For more information on the Harmonist orchard visit USI.edu/Harmonistorchard

For more information about Historic New Harmony, contact Erin McCracken Merris, Marketing Specialist for USI Outreach and Engagement, at emccracken@usi.edu.