Joe Donnelly: “I wish to congratulate the outstanding citizens of New Harmony, IN as they celebrate their town's 200th anniversary and…”

“I wish to congratulate the outstanding citizens of New Harmony, IN as they celebrate their town's 200th anniversary and to recognize the many contributions of New Harmony's citizens to the great State of Indiana and our Nation as a whole. New Harmony was founded in 1814 by the Harmonie Society, led by Georg Johann Rapp. Just 5 short years after purchasing land along the Wabash River, the settlers had developed the area into a productive and prosperous community. In 1825, the community was sold to Robert Owen and his financial associate William Maclure. With the continued developments of Owen, a Welsh industrialist, and Maclure, who some consider ``the father of American geology,'' New Harmony became a magnet for intellectual and academic innovators of the 19th century. The town had been called ``the Athens of the West'' because of the many scholars and scientists that called New Harmony home, such as the renowned American entomologist Thomas Say, French educator Marie Duclos Frategeot, and Dutch naturalist Gerard Troost. Throughout its history, New Harmony has demonstrated a constant spirit of innovation, especially in the educational and scientific fields. New Harmony was the home of the early kindergarten movement in America, as well an early example of what is now called a technical school. Robert Owen's son, David Dale Owen, led the early geological surveys of the Midwest, and another son, Robert Dale Owen, was a U.S.…”