Harmony

History

In December 1753, George Washington and Christopher Gist came through the area. They were shot at somewhere between present-day Evans City and Ellwood City (the exact location is unknown), through a region above the forks of the Ohio known as Mutheringtown or "Murdering Town". In 2003, the borough commemorated the event as part of the 250th Anniversary Commemoration of the French and Indian War. Harmony was founded by the pietist Johann Georg Rapp and his Harmony Society in 1804. Rapp came to America from Württemberg, Germany, in 1803 in search of land for his followers that was free from the religious persecution they faced in Germany. He was searching for a place for his followers to worship, farm, and put Rapp's communal religious teachings into effect . In 1804, two groups of Harmonites purchased a tract of land in Butler County. They formally established the Harmony Society in 1805 and lived in Pennsylvania for about 10 years before selling the Harmony property in 1814 to Abraham Ziegler, a Mennonite, and moving west to Indiana Territory, where they built the town of Harmony on the Wabash River (now New Harmony, Indiana). In 1824, they moved back to Pennsylvania, this time to Economy (now Ambridge). The settlements were economically successful, producing many goods in a clothing factory, a sawmill, a tannery, and from their vineyards and distillery. A hotel was also run in Harmony. In Economy, the group aided the construction of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, established the Economy Savings Institution and the Economy Brick Works, and operated the Economy Oil Company, Economy Planing Mill, Economy Lumber Company, and eventually donated some land in Beaver Falls for the construction of Geneva College. In 1869, Mennonite craftsmen built the stone wall…

Geography

Harmony is located in southwestern Butler County, along the northeastern border of the borough of Zelienople. It is in the valley of Connoquenessing Creek, a tributary of the Beaver River. Interstate 79 passes just east of the borough, with access from exits 87 and 88. Via I-79 it is south to downtown Pittsburgh and north to Erie. Pennsylvania Route 68 passes through the borough, just south of the downtown and leads west into Zelienople and east to Butler, the county seat. According to the United States Census Bureau, Harmony has a total area of , of which , or 1.23%, is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,474
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,342
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  10,132
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  10,125
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  9,647
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,071
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,883
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  8,432

Largest nearby schools

• Seneca Valley HS
  High · Harmony · 2,307 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• Ryan Gloyer MS
  Middle · Harmony · 1,123 students · 11.8:1 ratio
• Haine El Sch
  Elementary · Cranberry Twp · 813 students · 14.5:1 ratio
• Ehrman Crest El Sch
  Elementary · Cranberry Township · 758 students · 14.9:1 ratio
• Connoquenessing Valley El Sch
  Elementary · Zelienople · 744 students · 15.2:1 ratio
• Ehrman Crest MS
  Middle · Cranberry Township · 615 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Rowan El Sch
  Elementary · Cranberry Twp · 527 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• Haine MS
  Middle · Cranberry Twp · 494 students · 11.8:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2024-09-11
  4 km WNW of Claysville, Pennsylvania
• M 3 — 2024-03-30
  2 km SSW of Maple Ridge, Ohio
• M 2.9 — 2020-10-06
  5 km WSW of Bolivar, Pennsylvania
• M 4 — 2011-12-31
  3 km NW of Youngstown, Ohio