In 1825, Robert Owen and William Maclure turned a small Indiana town into one of history's most ambitious social experiments. They envisioned a community built on cooperation instead of competition, progressive education instead of traditional schooling, and equality instead of hierarchy. Scientists, educators, artists, and reformers traveled from across the world to join them. Two years later, the experiment had collapsed, but the questions it raised continue to resonate.​

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The Owen-Maclure 200 bicentennial invites you to explore the Owen-Maclure community experiment through a series of public programs, scholarly lectures, community events, and ongoing conversations. Did this short-lived utopian community succeed in ways its founders never imagined? What can we learn from the tensions between Owen's vision and Maclure's pragmatism, between collective ideals and individual ambitions, between bold innovation and human limitations? 

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Throughout this bicentennial, we're committed to examining multiple perspectives, from those who championed Owen's ideas to those who found them troubling, from the voices traditionally centered in this story to those often left out. We'll explore what worked and what did not, and why these questions still matter. Whether you're a historian, an educator, a New Harmony resident, or simply curious about utopian communities and social reform, we invite you to join us in this conversation.

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This website will grow throughout 2025-2027. Check back regularly for news about upcoming events, expanded biographies, and deeper explorations of the Owen-Maclure experiment's complex legacy.