Step back in time and experience the past in this 19th century village outside Pittsburgh

This week’s North, South, Centre location was suggested by reader Kenneth Plattner. If you know of hidden gems in Pennsylvania, email kdoll@centredaily.com

Just downriver from Pittsburgh lies an 1800s village, with blacksmiths, weavers and craftspeople showing what daily life would have looked like.

Located in Ambridge, Old Economy Village is a 6-acre historical site, with more than a dozen preserved homes, shops, and community buildings dating back to the 19th century.

The community was built by the Harmony Society, a German Lutheran separatist group, specifically to suit the community’s needs. The Harmony Society was heavily centered on religion and community, where all goods and items were turned over to the society and then redistributed among its members, according to the village’s website.

“The Harmony Society was was one of the most prosperous, long lived, religious societies in the United States in the 19th century,” said Michael Knecht, the acting site administrator. “It shows what people who work hard and have strong character can accomplish as a group.”

In 1905 the community dissolved, partially due to the adoption of celibacy and many members leaving the church. In 1916, the state took over the village and 17 of its buildings to preserve it as a historical site.

Today, visitors can see what life would have looked like in the 1800s for members of the Harmony Society. The village hosts demonstrations including weaving, blacksmithing and bread making.

Knecht said that although the Harmonists were well known in their time, many people outside of Ambridge have never heard of them or their small community.

The site runs 25-minute tours through different parts of the property, but some of the buildings are self guided.

“That’s typically where the demonstrators are, so people might go over and spend some time in the blacksmith shop talking to the blacksmith and watching that individual work on the forge,” Knecht said. “Or they might tour the one acre historic gardens we have, both a floral garden but also an urban vegetable garden.”

The site has also been working to preserve the 200-year-old buildings and increase accessibility, Knecht said.

“In fact, while we were closed during the pandemic, we had a $6 million capital project underway that did a lot of restoration work,” Knecht said. We replaced nine roofs on the buildings. ... We lifted all of the sidewalks and relayed all the brick sidewalks throughout the site in order to eliminate tripping hazards.”

Music was a cornerstone of the Harmony Society and now the site hosts free concerts throughout the summer in the gardens. A full list of events can be found on the village’s website.

Although the original society is gone, its legacy lives on not only in Old Economy village but in the Harmonists’ descendants. The site is host to a reunion of those who can trace back their lineage to Harmonists and the hired workers who helped build the society.

“When those descendants return, they typically like to get together and share stories of their family and oftentimes are connected with other people that have similar descendants as well,” Knecht said. “So it’s a really neat, interesting time when that happens.”

Admission: Adults are $10, children under 12 are $6

Hours: Friday to Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

How to get there: From State College, routes west via Interstate 99 or Interstate 80 will get you there in just more than 3 hours.

What to know: Bring sturdy shoes as the village is on 6 acres of land. All buildings are accessible with brick pathways. Guests spend an average of three to four hours at the site.

Places to eat, drink nearby: Maple Restaurant, Altered Genius Brewing Co.

This story was originally published June 22, 2022 at 1:47 PM.