Routes Through Zoar: Transportation and Progress in an Ohio Utopia

Conclusions

Black and white image showing two boats. One boat is sitting on water. To the left, the other boat appears to be sitting on land with some men and horses surrounding it. A caption underneath reads "Canal boat dock near Zoar in 1889."

The Zoar Society operated three canal boats during the peak of the canal era. By the time this photo was taken, the canal had been falling into disrepair for decades as traffic shifted to the railroads.*

The Ohio & Erie Canal

The Ohio & Erie Canal was built to connect the Ohio River to Lake Erie. Construction began in 1825, and a section of the canal passed through the Separatist’s land. The Zoarites dug this section themselves and the money they received for their labor allowed them to pay off the debt on their land. Money continued to pour in as the Society operated boats to ship goods, opened a hotel and tavern, and started a small but successful iron industry. Drunkenness and fighting were commonplace at the Canal Tavern, and the tavern’s proprietor did secret business without the Society’s approval and kept money and valuables for himself. His expulsion from Zoar led to a landmark Supreme Court case (John G. Goesele et al. vs. Joseph M. Bimeler et al., which the Society won) and the first major challenge to the Zoarites’ way of life.

Black and white photograph of a train moving down train tracks. To it's right is a small canal, and further to the right is much wider river. A caption underneath reads "Wheeling Lake Erie train passing near canal."

The Wheeling & Lake Erie railroad ran directly through town and along the Ohio & Erie Canal.*

The Railroad

Several railroad branches passed through or near Zoar in the second half of the 1800s. The introduction of the railroad coincided with the death of Joseph Bimeler and the other first-generation Separatists who were the Society’s leaders. Outsiders started visiting in far greater numbers, bringing their individualism and new opportunities for Zoarites to make money outside of the bounds of the Society. Younger Zoarites chose not to join the Society when they came of age, believing that the communal system did not fairly reward their labor. Bimeler’s own great-grandson, Levi, came to resent the Society as an anachronism that was detrimental to the goals it was formed to achieve. By 1898, the Trustees agreed. The Society was dissolved that year, and its property was divided among its members.

*All images courtesy of Ohio History Connection

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