A place for quiet reflection
Paul Tillich Park honors German-American theologian and philosopher Paul Johannes Tillich. Located across North Main Street from the Roofless Church and just north of the Red Geranium Restaurant, the park offers a short, self-guided walk among evergreens, inscribed granite boulders, and a bronze portrait bust.
This is a contemplative memorial garden rather than a conventional recreation park or hiking destination.
Walking paths & garden setting
Designed by the landscape architecture firm Zion and Breen, the park occupies elevated ground beneath a stand of evergreens. A walkway leads visitors through the shaded garden, connecting memorial features and stones bearing quotations from Tillich’s writings.
The setting encourages visitors to slow down, read the inscriptions, and consider the relationship between nature, philosophy, and spiritual life.
The information reviewed does not establish a measured trail length, path-surface specification, or accessibility rating. This guide describes a short contemplative walk, not a verified hiking loop or accessible route.
Inscribed stones & sculpture
Five large granite boulders carry quotations from Tillich’s writings, incised by English letterer Ralph Beyer. A carved limestone sign and a bronze bust add to the garden’s combination of landscape and memorial art.
Sculptor James Rosati created the bust, which was placed in the park by the Robert Lee Blaffer Trust at Pentecost in 1967.
A separate stone bearing Tillich’s birth and death dates marks the place where his ashes were interred.
Paul Tillich’s legacy
The park was dedicated on June 2, 1963, with Tillich himself in attendance. He delivered an address titled “Estranged and Reunited: The New Being,” giving the dedication a direct connection to his philosophical and theological work.
Tillich taught at Union Theological Seminary, Harvard University, and the University of Chicago. He died on October 22, 1965, and his ashes were interred in the New Harmony park that year.
The memorial preserves both his resting place and a selection of ideas expressed in his writings.
A complementary New Harmony stop
The Roofless Church stands across North Main Street and provides a complementary stop during a visit to New Harmony. It is a separate destination, not part of Paul Tillich Park.
Allow time to experience the garden at an unhurried pace and respect its role as a place of reflection and remembrance.
Sources & further reading
- Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation: Paul Tillich Park — garden design, memorial features, visiting information, and contact details.
- Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation: Park overview — dedication and interment history.
- Indiana University library collection: Historic New Harmony, Post-Harmonist Structures — Tillich biography, park history, and sculpture.
- Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation: Sanctuary features — visitor and private-event information.
Historical note: This guide uses 1965 for Tillich’s death and interment, following the foundation’s dedicated park description and the university historical account. Some other local interpretive pages give a different year.