Description: This illustration, which depicts the village of Zoar in 1848, appears in "Discovering American History Through Maps and Views," published by Gerald A. Danzer in 1991. Zoar is a small community in Tuscarawas County, which was founded by a group of German separatists in 1817. These separatists, who soon became known as Zoarites, were originally from an area of Germany known as Wurttemburg. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, they separated from the official German religion, the Lutheran Church. Separatists faced severe persecution in Wurttemburg, including confiscation of their properties and imprisonment. The group's leader, Joseph Bimeler, decided to bring the separatists to the United States. The community of Zoar was not originally organized as a commune, but its residents had a difficult time surviving in 1818 and early 1819. As a result, on April 19, 1819, the group formed the Society of Separatists of Zoar. Each person donated his or her property to the community as a whole. In the decades following the establishment of the Zoar commune, the Separatists experienced economic prosperity. The community was almost entirely self-sufficient and sold any surpluses to the outside world. In addition to agriculture, Zoar residents also worked in a number of industries, including flour mills, textiles, a tin shop, cooper, wagon maker, two iron foundries, and several stores. Bimeler died in 1853, and although Zoar was still economically prosperous, the members' commitment to the society's original goals began to deteriorate in the second half of the nineteenth century. Over time, many of the original residents died. The younger generation did not have memories of the persecution back in Europe or the society's early struggles in Ohio. The outside world influenced the community more and more, and in 1898, the remaining members decided to dissolve the society, and the Zoarites divided the property among themselves. Throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Zoar has continued to exist as a small town in rural eastern Ohio. Today, the Ohio Historical Society operates a portion of the town as a historic site. A number of the Zoarite buildings are restored and are open to the public. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04204
Subjects: Zoar (Tuscarawas County, Ohio); Society of Separatists of Zoar--History; Historical societies
Places: Zoar (Ohio); Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated July 1937, this photograph shows the central street of Union Village, also referred to as Shakertown. The first building on the left appears to be Marble Hall. A note on the photograph's reverse reads "View of the central group of buildings at the old Shaker settlement, 3 miles east of Lebanon, Ohio, formerly known as Union Village and commonly as Shakertown. Now the Otterbein Home, conducted for the aged and the orphans of the United Brethren Church. The entire tract of 4,500 acres formerly belonging to the Shakers is now know as Shaker Acres." Union Village was the first, and largest, Shaker community west of the Allegheny Mountains, and was established in 1805. By the 1940's, Union Village was the second largest Shaker settlement with a population of 700. The village was disbanded in 1912 and the last building was demolished in 1965. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B14F07_017_001
Subjects: Warren County (Ohio); Shakers--Ohio--Union Village--Pictorial works; Shakers--North Union (Ohio); Religion in Ohio; Historical societies
Places: Union Village (Ohio); Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: This black-and-white photograph shows members of the Warren County Horticultural Society - a variety of men, women, and children. The large group of people are shown at the entrance of a white building with decorative shutters on the windows. The original image was printed and reproduced in the "Combined Atlases of Warren County, Ohio, 1875, 1891, 1903." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05243
Subjects: Warren County (Ohio); Ohio Economy--Agriculture; Historical societies; Group portraits
Places: Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: Erwin Zepp (on the right), director of the Ohio Historical Society, pictured seated with two Society trustees. The trustees are identified as Foley (on the left) and Milligan (center). Hanging behind them is the painting "The Fighting McCook's" from the Society's fine art collection. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07536
Subjects: Other--Ohio Historical Society; Historical museums--Ohio; Employees--United States; Historical societies
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "Ross County Museum Hist + Arch Museum Ross County Historical Society Museum" This building still houses the Ross County Historical Society. It has been joined with the adjoining building and is now called The Ross County Heritage Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B12F04_001_001
Subjects: Historical societies; Museums
Places: Chillicothe (Ohio); Ross County (Ohio)