Description: A bust photo of Mary Rieker Ruof, member of the Society of Separatists of Zoar. The small community of Zoar was founded by a group of German separatists in 1817, who later became known as the Zoarites. Originally from the state of Wurttemburg, Germany, the group moved to Philadelphia after facing persecution for separating from the Lutheran Church in their native state. With financial assistance from the Society of Friends (Quakers), the group was able to purchase land in eastern Ohio. The community’s first buildings were constructed in Ohio in 1817 and the following year marked the arrival of approximately two hundred members. The separatists chose to name their town Zoar after the Biblical account of Lot, who escaped to Zoar from Sodom in the book of Genesis. Zoar means “a sanctuary from evil.” 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 exchange for their work, the society would provide for them. Both men and women signed the original document creating the society. Women had equal access to political leadership and had the right to vote in elections. Women also were not prohibited from holding office in the society, although no women were ever elected to these positions. Additional modifications to the society’s organization were made in 1824 and a constitution established in 1833. Joseph Bimeler died in 1853. Even though Zoar was 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 Zoarites more and more, as strangers traveled to Zoar and stayed in the town’s hotel. In 1898, the remaining members decided to dissolve the society, and its property was divided among the Zoarites. It was an end to the communistic experience at Zoar. Throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Zoar has continued to exist as a small town in rural eastern Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05977
Subjects: Society of Separatists of Zoar; Women--Ohio; Clothing and dress
Places: Zoar (Ohio); Tuscarawas County (Ohio)