Welcome to Old Economy Village 2021-03-29T15:03:49-04:00

PHMC’s historic sites and museums, including Old Economy Village, will remain closed until further notice.

Please watch this website and social media for important updates.

 

Help Us Fill The Vault!

Dear Friends & Supporters,Two underground vaults and text
At this time of great concern and uncertainty for us all, I sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are in good health.
 
I am writing today to ask you for your help. In the past our community of members, donors and supporters has been vital to our growth. Now I am asking for your help in assisting the Friends of Old Economy Village to overcome the extreme financial challenges that we face due to the pandemic.
 
Without visitation and the ability to be accessible to the public we have a definite financial shortfall to overcome. Since the museum was closed on March 13, 2020, we have seen a loss of $70,000. School students were unable to visit the site, weddings were rescheduled or cancelled, and special events were not held. This has significantly affected our income to the extent that the Friends’ long-term viability could very soon be compromised.
 
We have done our best to cut expenses at every opportunity. Our Friends staff has been furloughed except for a few hours a week for administrative tasks. As such we have not been able to keep up with many areas including membership, marketing, and volunteers. All these measures have helped to save money, but we need your help.
We are embarking on a campaign to “Fill the Vault”. Many of you may have seen David Miller’s wonderful Facebook post about the money vaults underneath the Rapp Houses.
 
 
The Harmonists were storing money to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Your support to Fill the Vault will help us to provide programming and teach more visitors about our hidden gems like this that are interesting elements of the site history. The goal for this campaign is $70,000.
 
The Friends budget relies on admissions revenue, membership support, and donations to cover its annual investment in Old Economy. That’s why I would like to ask, would you consider helping the Friends through this incredibly difficult period by donating today?
 
IF YOU CAN, PLEASE HELP TODAY
Click here to donate through PayPal:
 
If you would like to pay by check please make checks payable to FOEV and mail to
270 Sixteenth St. Ambridge, PA 15003
 
We will be checking the mail during the closure
AS A SPECIAL TREAT FOR YOU, FOUR DONORS WILL BE DRAWN AT RANDOM TO COME SEE THE VAULTS FOR YOURSELF ONCE THE MUSEUM IS OPEN AGAIN!!
Your support makes it possible for us to preserve, proclaim and promote the story of Old Economy Village. I am enormously proud of our role in our community’s cultural life and the incredibly positive impact that Old Economy Village has had on the lives of so many generations of people. I am determined that come what may, we must go on to enrich people’s lives long into the future. We can do this with your support!
With my thanks and very best wishes,
Jason Weber
Executive Director
Friends of Old Economy Village

Our Mission

Old Economy Village preserves, presents, and proclaims the exemplary history of the Harmony Society and inspires people to strive for a better future. Old Economy Village is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and is actively supported by the Friends of Old Economy Village which is a non-profit community-based organization.

 

History of Economy

Old Economy Village, a National Historic Landmark, tells the story of the Harmony Society, one of the oldest and most successful religious communal groups of the nineteenth century. The Society sought to create a utopia inhabited by German Lutheran separatists who subscribed to the mystical religious teachings of their leader George Rapp (1757-1847). In Economy, they waited for the second coming of the Messiah.

Learn more about the Harmony Society’s history

 

Visit the Old Economy Village Archives / See PHMC’s historic collections online

old German handwriting

maroon silk velvet long coat and cap on mannequin

George Rapp’s silk velvet coat and cap