"We have not trusted him in vain so far; we trust him still.
He will give us a sign."
THE SOCIETY OF SEPARATISTS,
AT
ZOAR, OHIO.
THE SOCIETY OF SEPARATISTS AT ZOAR.
I.--HISTORY.
The village of Zoar lies in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, about half-way
between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, on a branch of the railroad which
connects these two points. It is situated on the bank of the Tuscarawas
Creek, which affords at this point valuable water-power. The place is
irregularly built, and contains fewer houses than a village of the same
number of inhabitants usually has; but the dwellings are mostly quite
large, and each accommodates several families. There is a commodious
brick church, a large and well-fitted brick schoolhouse, an extensive
country tavern or hotel, and a multitude of sheds and barns. There are,
besides, several mills and factories; and in the middle of the village a
somewhat elaborate, large, square house, which was the residence of the
founder and head of the society until his death, and is now used in part
as a storehouse.
Zoar is the home of a communistic society who call themselves
"Separatists," and who founded the village in 1817, and have here become
quite wealthy. They originated in Wuertemberg, and, like the Harmony
Society, the Inspirationists, and others, were dissenters from the
Established Church.
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