The founder of the Communistic religious sect of Harmonists, a native of Würtemberg, Germany. While still a youth he believed that he had experienced a divine call and was charged with the restoration of the Christian religion to its pristine purity. He did not long confine his efforts to spiritual instruction, but formed a plan of a community to be modelled on the system of the primitive church, all goods to be the common property of the association. In the realization of this project he found himself so hampered by state interference in Germany that he resolved to emigrate to America, where he hoped to be able to carry out his plans without official opposition. He reached this country in 1803, accompanied by a band of believers in his religious, social, and political views, and in 1805 founded the town of Harmony, on Conequenessing Creek, Butler county, PA, where the community engaged successfully in agriculture and manufacture. In 1815 they removed to a new location on the Wabash River, IN, where a tract of 27,000 acres was obtained, and a settlement started under the name of New Harmony. Here the Harmonists became involved in pecuniary difficulties, and in 1824 sold this land and improvements to Robert Owen, who wished to try a socialistic experiment on a different plan. Rapp and his followers returned to Pennsylvania, and founded towns called Economy and Harmony, in Beaver county, on the banks of the Allegheny, 17 miles northwest of Pittsburg. Rapp died here on the 7th of August 1847. It owns 3,500 acres of land, and in addition to agriculture is engaged in silk, woollen, and cotton manufacture. The industry and morality of the members of the community have gained it general esteem, and it stands as one of the few communistic experiments that have had any measure of success.
