About Us
The Rapp-Owen Granary is the site of weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, bridal showers, anniversary celebrations, business meetings, university symposiums, musical presentations, seminars, and professional workshops.
Today, the Rapp-Owen Granary stands proud as a site for both simple and significant events; its doors open to people from all walks of life. Its stone walls absorb laughter, music, and the knowledge shared, while its giant windows reflect what is perfect about New Harmony during all of its seasons.
Visitors from all over the world study the Granary’s lofty spaces, admire its solid beams, and are in awe of its restored grandeur. They find it hard to believe that slightly more than a decade ago, this majestic structure stood in disrepair, its facade shrouded in mystery and its beauty hidden beneath broken decay. Recognition for its transformation can be attributed to a small group of tenacious men and one remarkable woman.
In 1992, the Rapp Granary-Owen Foundation was established as a 501(c)(3) to become the owner, restorer and operator of the Rappite Granary. To its credit, members of the Board of Directors had a long list of completed special projects that bore significant value to the history, culture and enhancement of communities. Included on the Foundation Board were the late Kenneth Dale Owen, president; and the late Jane Blaffer Owen, vice president. Also serving were David L. Rice, treasurer and project coordinator; James A. Sanders, director and associate project coordinator; Gary Gerard, secretary; and Robert Guenther, director. Today, the Rapp Granary-Owen Foundation trustees also include Erik Arneberg, William Muller and Douglas Guenther.
When a mammoth restoration project was completed in 1999, the Granary had been returned to a form and shape that reflects its German Rappite heritage, as adapted by David Dale Owen in the 1840s for his third geologic laboratory, lecture hall and cultural center.
In a congratulatory letter to the Granary Foundation trustees, Bill Goodwin, then vice president for Community Development for the Lilly Endowment, Inc., noted, “I am astounded at the huge success you have had with the Rapp-Owen Granary project. In all of my years at the Endowment, this project has to be recognized as the leading example of a community’s dedication, perseverance and effectiveness in realizing the fulfillment of a dream . . .”
For information about tours or rental availability, please call Chris Laughbaum at 1-812-682-3050 or use our Contact Form.
