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Zoar Villagers Harvesting Crops Photograph
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 | Subjects: Religion in Ohio; Agriculture; Immigration and Ethnic Heritage; Society of Separatists of Zoar; Communal Societies; Horses; Harvesting;
Places: Zoar (Ohio); Tuscarawas County (Ohio);
Collection: Society of Separatists of Zoar Collection http://www.ohiohistory.org/etcetera/exhibits/ohiopix/
Source: Audiovisual material; AV 9; AL00828
Item ID: OHS: Om395_1088733_009.tif
Description: This photograph shows members of the Society of Separatists of Zoar harvesting crops in a field located at the northeast end of Zoar village. The older man pictured in the foreground is Michael Miller, the last Separatist who immigrated to Zoar from Germany. The photograph measures 7" x 4.75" (17.8 x 12.07 cm). The Society of Separatists of Zoar were a group of German religious dissenters who immigrated to Ohio in 1817. Finding it difficult to make ends meet on their own, they formed a communal society in 1819 in which all members shared equally. After a few hard years, the group became solvent by helping build seven miles of the Ohio and Erie Canal, which passed through their lands. The canal enabled them to get their produce to market and allowed them to be financially successful. The Zoarites manufactured much of what they needed themselves. The village of Zoar, named for the Biblical city that Lot fled to from Sodom and Gomorrah, included grist mills, a wool factory, iron furnaces, a tannery, a foundry, garden, and store. After leader Joseph Bimeler (1778-1853) died, however, the group experienced a slow decline, since no one could match his business or spiritual leadership. Tourism helped keep the community afloat for a while, but in 1898, the society disbanded and its assets were divided.
Width: 2783 pixels
Height: 1900 pixels
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