Joe Breymaier photograph   Save
Zoar, Ohio Photograph Collection
Description: Pictured is Joe Breymaier, one of the oldest living Zoarites who belonged to the separatist society. 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. Joseph Bimeler (1778-1853) acted as the group’s leader and was responsible for bringing the separatists to the United States. 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 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. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05974
Subjects: Zoar (Tuscarawas County, Ohio); Clothing and dress; Society of Separatists of Zoar; Daily life
Places: Zoar (Ohio); Tuscarawas County (Ohio)