Working Men's Institute Museum & Library

New Harmony’s Working Men’s Institute is based on Robert Owen’s utopian experiment in the 1820s, aiming to provide useful knowledge to working men. Geologist William Maclure, a business partner of Owen, established the institute in 1838, with the concept spreading to 143 other WMIs in Indiana and 16 in Illinois. The institute continues to evolve to fulfill its founder’s mission. You are welcome to visit and witness the valuable resource we have in the heart of New Harmony.