Designed by Philip Johnson, the Roofless Church is a modern building dedicated to spirituality. | Courtesy The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites

New Harmony has attracted eccentric spiritual groups, social reformers, intellectuals, and artists When Melissa Flower, a theater director, visited New Harmony, Indiana, for the first time earlier this year, she thought she?d stepped through the looking glass. ?I felt like I was in Alice in Wonderland,? she says. ?When people, including me, come here, they talk about it like it?s a magical place.?
The small town, located near Indiana?s southernmost tip, is not unlike many American towns. It has a main street lined with historic brick buildings, some painted in lively colors like San Francisco?s Victorians. There are trees and flowers everywhere, and plaques reminding you that it?s a historic site. And then there?s the hedge labyrinth and roofless church?hints that this isn?t just any ordinary rural community. New Harmony is a hotbed for utopians. From the early 19th century until today, New Harmony has attracted people who go against society?s grain. First, religious separatists who dedicated their lives to God and preparations for the second coming of Christ, then secular reformers who believed a society based on equality and intellectual pursuits would lead to a better world for everyone. While these experimental communities failed, some of their utopian philosophies are still very much alive among New Harmony?s pre...