Zoar celebrates 200 years

When Ohio days get longer and the weather gets warmer (or at least more predictable), it’s time to trade in hibernation for a newfound wanderlust. A unique spot to stretch the legs is Historic Zoar Village—right here in The 330. With Zoar celebrating its bicentennial this year, there are plenty of activities to intrigue the history buff, the family-on-the-go and anyone who just wants to stop and smell the roses.

Zoar’s story begins in 1817 when 200 German separatists arrived in Tuscarawas County after fleeing their homeland due to religious persecution. The group immediately got to work building a settlement out of the surrounding wilderness. Two years later, the separatists created a utopian society in which all members contributed work to benefit the greater good of the community.

“One aspect that set early Zoar apart in the 19th century was their belief that all members were equal,” says Jon Elsasser, president of the Zoar Community Association, which operates Historic Zoar Village today as a museum complex and historical site. “Men and women played a role in creating the society, and women were permitted to vote and hold office. Women also helped dig a seven-mile stretch of the Ohio and Erie Canal—a project that enabled the group to pay off their land debts.”

Zoar subsequently built a thriving economy based on agriculture and manufactured goods for export. It eventually became a popular vacation spot for Ohio’s elite, including Canton-native President William McKinley and Cleveland industrialist Alexander Gunn. Zoar was also an inspiration for works by the Cleveland School of Artists dating as early as the 1870s.

By the 1890s, most original residents had passed away. Younger generations had no memory of the founders’ hardships. Many were exposed to and attracted by modern American ideas that visitors traveling through Zoar shared. In 1898, the remaining members dissolved the society and divided the remaining property.

Despite its end, Zoar became one of the most successful utopian settlements in American history, lasting nearly 80 years. With few exceptions, most communities of this type didn’t survive beyond a couple years. In 1936, the village’s community garden and the Number One House—which had been the home of the Society’s first leader, Joseph Bimeler—opened as a museum operated by the Ohio Historical Society (today known as the Ohio History Connection). Major village-wide restoration work began in the 1970s with local residents and the OHS collaborating on formal Zoar preservation and restoration efforts. Today, Zoar is still a small residential community with families living and working here. But it’s also on the National Register of Historic Places and was recently named a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. It remains a popular stop along the Ohio and Erie Canalway Towpath Trail, with several shopping and dining options for visitors.

“ Out of about 2,500 historic places with this designation, 73 are in Ohio, and we are one of only seven located in The 330,” Elsasser says. “It’s an overwhelming achievement that will help our Bicentennial visitors understand the large significance of what a small group of German immigrants created here.”