The University of Southern Indiana has received a two-and-a-half million dollar grant for a new program in New Harmony. WNIN’s John Gibson has details:
The grant from the Lilly Endowment will help establish the Historic New Harmony Religious Liberty Initiative.
It’s described as a comprehensive project that will explore and celebrate the role of freedom of belief, both religious and secular, in shaping visionary communities and inspiring new ways of living.
USI says Historic New Harmony will explore how American ideals of freedom shaped the 19th-century communal experiments in New Harmony, the religious Harmonist Society, and Robert Owen’s secular “Community of Equality.”
The project will also study the 20th-century revitalization efforts led by the late philanthropist Jane Blaffer Owen.
Officials say The New Harmony Religious Liberty Initiative will enhance the visitor experience through new educational programs, updated interpretive materials, and expanded digital and on-site resources.