The Amana Colonies

They believed that God communicated through inspired individuals and they traveled through Germany and Switzerland forming small groups of followers of the Community of True Inspiration. By 1840 they had grown to nearly 1,000 members in spite of persecution from German officials who viewed them as a political threat.

They were fined for not sending their children to state schools, rising costs and drought aggravated the conditions upon which they were living and so they looked to the USA for a new home. In 1842 they bought a 5,000 acre site close to Buffalo, New York and by the end of 1843 nearly 350 Inspirationists had made the journey to their new settlement.

By 1855 they needed to move again as the site they were on was no longer big enough to sustain their almost self sufficient lifestyle. They moved west to Iowa and lived a communal life style until the 1930’s and were often mistaken as being Amish. For nearly eighty years they used an almost self sufficient local economy, only buying and selling through bartering. Specialized handcrafts and farming methods brought with them from Germany were a central part of their existence.

For over seventy years in Iowa the society was a religious one working without profit, providing food and housing for its members, working on community farms, community enterprises and eating in communal kitchens. Their purpose was to live peacefully, cooperatively with humility and dignity, as well as to have faith in God. There was no cooking in the homes, instead communal groups of thirty to sixty would eat together. Men and women would eat at separate tables. In church the men would all sit on one side, women on the other. Children were schooled until the age of 15, they would then work in the fields if male, the females usually working in the kitchen.

The society was known for never turning any one in need away, even giving employment in the form of laborers. Many hobos from the trains that passed through would be fed and housed in return for work. One change in the 1930’s was the abandoning of the communal style of eating as many wanted family meals and not communal eating.

Today Amana is a tourist attraction, mainly for its restaurants and craft shops, there are woodworking shops, wine stores and even a brewery. In 1965 the colony was listed as a National Historic Landmark. One of the better known businesses it operates is Amana Refrigeration, which is a subsidiary of Whirlpool. Their products are sold in over 100 countries worldwide and made in a modern plant within the community.

The church remains as an important part of the community and visitors are welcome to attend services. The church remains much as it has been for over 150 years, a plain building with no steeple or colored glass. Inside the wooden floors and plain wooden benches showing traditions of humility and piety. Services in the English language were introduced in 1960, with both German and English featuring in the readings and hymns.

Today the colony relies on tourism as an important part of its economy, there are a few hotels and bed and breakfast facilities to house those wishing to stay overnight.