Amana Colonies
Encyclopedia
The Amana Colonies are a group of settlements of radical German Pietists in Iowa
, USA, comprising seven villages. Calling themselves the Ebenezer Society
or the Community of True Inspiration , they first settled in New York state near Buffalo
in what is now the Town of West Seneca
. However, in order to live out their beliefs in more isolated surroundings they moved west, to east-central Iowa (near present-day Iowa City) in 1855. They lived a communal life
until the mid 1930s. Due to this, the Amanas are sometimes mistaken for Amish
.
A striking feature of the Amana Colonies is that for eighty years they maintained an almost completely self-sufficient local economy, importing very little from the wider, industrializing U.S. economy, and at the same time the level of physical comfort, housing, possessions, education, and social and cultural amenities were comparable to that enjoyed by average middle class American office workers, factory workers, and tradesman of the time. The Amanians were able to achieve this independence and life style by adhering to the specialized handcrafts and farming occupations which they had brought with them from Germany. Master craftsmen passed on from one generation to the next, the knowledge, techniques, and skills of the artisan iron and copper smiths, woodwrights, weavers, shoemakers, cheese makers, etc., in the old fashion. They used hand, horse, wind, and water power, and lived a sustainable, pedestrian community life.
The Amanians were proud that they produced, right there in Amana and its surrounding villages and farms, everything they felt they needed for a good and honest life. "If we couldn't make it ourselves, we believed that we just didn't need it!" proclaims a smiling eighty-six year old woman, reminiscing about life in Amana, in the permanent video exhibit at the Amana Museum.
There were no middle-men or business executives in Amana. Its residents enjoyed the full fruits of their labors, locally. Until 1935, Amanians made their own furniture, clothes, blankets, dishes, utensils, childrens' toys, tools, candles, candy, etc., and made it well, as one can see in the extensive museum in Amana. Many of the things made during Amana's eighty years can still be found in antique shops in Amana and the eastern Iowa area; their current high prices reflect the durability, beauty, and individuality.
Today, Amana is a major tourist attraction known mainly for its restaurants and craft shops. Included in the shops are woodworking shops, wine shops, and even a brewery called Millstream
. The colonies as a whole have been listed as a National Historic Landmark
since 1965.
. This growth took place in spite of persecution from German officials. The government, closely tied to the Lutheran church, viewed the Community's theology
as a political threat. Even in Hesse
, Inspirationists were fined for their refusal to send children to state schools. Rising costs and rents and several years of drought aggravated the conditions on the estates. Christian Metz
and other leaders realized that they had to find a new home for the Community in America.
In September 1842, a committee led by Christian Metz traveled to America in search of land on which to relocate. The members purchased a 5,000 acre (20 km²) site in western New York
, near Buffalo
, and by the end of 1843, nearly 350 Inspirationists had immigrated to the new settlement, which they named "Ebenezer," meaning "hitherto hath the Lord helped us."
From the start, in order to facilitate all members of the community to come to America and live together, all property in Ebenezer was held in common. The initial plan was that, after some time, the land would be divided among the people according to their contribution of money and labor. However, leaders saw that the disparity in wealth, skills and age would make it difficult for all to purchase a portion of land—the community would fall apart as a result. Therefore, in 1846, a constitution was adopted which established a permanent communal system. Any debate on this was resolved when Metz spoke a divine pronouncement endorsing the communal system after he had visited a similar communal society in Ohio.
Ebenezer flourished. By 1854 the population reached 1,200 people. Six villages were established, each with mills, shops, homes, communal kitchens, schools and churches. To accommodate this growth, additional land was purchased, but more was needed. However, the booming growth of nearby Buffalo inflated the price of land. Furthermore, the community leaders perceived a threat from the economic development around them. It was felt that capitalist and worldly influences were bringing about a growing interest in materialism
and threatened the spiritual focus of the Inspirationist community. The leadership decided it was time to move again—this time to the unsettled west.
and came back with a favorable impression of the available lands along the Iowa River
20 miles (32.2 km) from Iowa City. The society purchased 18000 acres (72.8 km²) of Iowa land and between 1854 and 1859 the six Amana villages were founded: Amana (sometimes known as main Amana) (41.8002°N 91.8723°W), West Amana (41.8074°N 91.9654°W), Süd (South) Amana (41.7752°N 91.9680°W), Amana vor der Höhe (High Amana) (41.8036°N 91.9407°W), Ost (East) Amana (41.8090°N 91.8493°W) and Mittel (Middle) Amana (41.7953°N 91.8982°W). A seventh Amana village, Homestead (41.7600°N 91.8706°W), was purchased because of its station on the Rock Island Railroad (now the Iowa Interstate Railroad
).
The Community of True Inspiration was incorporated in 1859 under the name of "Amana Society" and existed for over seventy years as a religious society operating without pecuniary profit and providing food and housing for its members, who worked on community farms, community enterprises and ate in communal kitchens.
The Kuechenbaas, the kitchen boss, was normally a woman. The Kuechenbaas had a high status similar to that of an elder. She was responsible for planning meals and allocating supplies like eggs to families. More common positions held by women were in the kitchens, communal gardens, and laundry, among eight occupations. Men on the other hand had 39 different jobs to choose from, including barber, butcher, tailor, machine shop worker, and doctor. People were not paid for their jobs with cash, but were given allowances of credit that they could use at the Amana shops.
Children also participated in jobs, such as harvesting and agricultural duties for boys and kitchen work for the girls. Children stayed with their mothers until they were two years old. Then, the child would have to attend Kinderschule until the age of seven. At that point, the child would attend school five and a half days a week, all year round until the age of fourteen or fifteen. At school, they shelled, cleaned and graded seed corn, picked fruit, and studied reading, writing and arithmetic.
Amana was known for its hospitality towards outsiders. Members would never turn a person in need away. They would feed and shelter hobo
s that would pass through on the train. Some would even be hired as laborers. They would receive good wages, a permit home for the length of their stay and three meals a day in the communal kitchen. Hobos were not the only outside help. Amana would hire many outside laborers to do industrial and agricultural jobs. They worked in the woolen shop, the calico-printing shop or one of the many others.
Two groups governed the Amana Society. One was the Board of Trustees. The Board had thirteen members who were elected from the Council of Elders, the second governing group. Election day was the first Tuesday in December. Men who signed the Constitution, widows, and females who were over thirty years old and were not represented by a man, were allowed to vote. The Council of Elders was confirmed by the Board of Trustees. There were also local councils.
Another important governing aspect of the society was the church, which was run by the Board of Trustees. Children and their parents worshiped together. Mothers with young children sat in the back of the church. Other children sat in the first few rows. Men and women were separated during worship: men on one side and women on the other side of the church. Older people and the “in-betweens” who were people in their thirties and forties had to attend a separate service. The service that members attended and where the members sat was a statement of their status in society. Services were held eleven times a week and did not include musical instruments and hymn singing.
4:8; Amana means "to remain true".
Two men, Gruber and Rock, started this religious group. They traveled to Germany and to Switzerland preaching about Jesus Christ and his teachings; they disagreed with the Lutheran/Catholic faith's method of sermonizing and interpreting the Bible. They didn’t believe that the Lutheran/Catholic Churches taught the exact word of the Bible, so they thought themselves to be a reformed movement of true faith that followed the traditions and beliefs of the earliest Christians. Many of their beliefs or traditions were influenced by the Jewish faith. The early founders learned much by interacting with Jews and other separatist Christian groups. They believed that God used certain people as his tool as in the old testament. God would speak to them and through them if they led a simple life without the noise of too much stuff and the trappings of modern society. The title of these individuals was Werkzeug (instrument). This derived from the time of the biblical prophets like Joseph and his brothers. Today's church still gathers on Sunday mornings in both German and English and the idea remains the same. Visitors are welcome to join in on services if desired. During church services, they sing songs that were written by their church founders.
In 1931, the community found itself in a crisis. In addition to the social strains of communal living, the community had suffered several economic setbacks in the previous decade. The Amana Society had lost an important source of revenue when its calico print works closed after World War I
. A fire in 1923 extensively damaged the woolen mill and completely destroyed the Amana flour mill. Also, the Great Depression
had shrunk the market for the Society's agricultural products.
The Elders presented the membership with a choice: either they could return to a more austere and disciplined life or they could abandon the communal system. However, the results of the votes were not conclusive. On June 1, 1932, the members elected to retain the traditional church as it was, and to create a joint-stock company (Amana Society, Inc.) for the business enterprises, to be operated for profit by a Board of Directors. This separation of the church from the economic functions of the community—the abandonment of communalism—is still referred to by Amana residents today as the "Great Change".
The most widely known business that emerged from the Amana Society is Amana Refrigeration, Inc., which is now a subsidiary of Whirlpool Corporation. It is one of the leading manufacturers of refrigerators, freezers, electric and gas ranges, home heating and cooling products and Amana microwave ovens. Amana's products are sold in more than one hundred countries worldwide. This national leader in the production of refrigerators was founded by an Amana native, George C. Foerstner, at the time of the Great Change. The first beverage cooler, designed for a businessman in nearby Iowa City in 1934, was built by skilled craftsmen at the Middle Amana
woolen mill. In the decades that followed, the mill became the site of this large, now private, plant producing refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, and in 1965, a new product—the Amana Radarange microwave oven
. Today, the 19th-century woolen mill smoke stack still rises over the modern plant.
The Amana Church continues to be a vital part of the community. A visitor to Amana today would do well to visit an Inspirationist cemetery. Surrounded by pine trees to symbolize eternal life, the cemeteries continue to express the Inspirationist ethos of equality
, humility, and simplicity. As they have been for over 140 years, members are buried in order of death with plain, uniform headstone
s. Like the cemeteries, the Amana churches are much as they were when built 125 years ago. The building exteriors are unpretentious; no steeple or colored-glass windows declare that the edifice is a house of God. Inside, the unfinished wood floors, plain pine benches and unadorned walls echo the tradition of humility
and piety
. Men still enter and sit on one side of a central aisle, with women on the other. Worshippers come early for quiet contemplation. English language
services were introduced in 1960, but in both German
and English services the order of worship has changed little over the years: a reading from Scripture; a reading from a testimony from Rock, Metz or Landmann; hymns that would be recognized by a congregation of a century earlier.
Today, heritage tourism
has become important to the economy of the Amana area. There are a few hotels and bed and breakfasts to keep tourism alive. They also have a winter fest every year.
Historic preservation efforts by several local nonprofit organizations, as well as the Amana Society, Inc., in conjunction with land-use and historic preservation ordinances attempt to preserve the natural and built environment of Amana.
There is also a collection of sites some 13 miles (20.9 km) to the south. However, it has nothing to do with the Amana Colonies and is merely a stopping point for interstate travelers.
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, USA, comprising seven villages. Calling themselves the Ebenezer Society
Inspirationalists
The Inspirationalists were a group of Germans, Swiss and Austrians from a number of backgrounds and soci-economic areas who settled in West Seneca, New York, after purchasing land from an Indian reservation...
or the Community of True Inspiration , they first settled in New York state near Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
in what is now the Town of West Seneca
West Seneca, New York
West Seneca is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 44,711 at the 2010 census. West Seneca is a centrally-located interior town of the county, and a suburb of Buffalo...
. However, in order to live out their beliefs in more isolated surroundings they moved west, to east-central Iowa (near present-day Iowa City) in 1855. They lived a communal life
Commune (intentional community)
A commune is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work and income. In addition to the communal economy, consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical structures and ecological living have become...
until the mid 1930s. Due to this, the Amanas are sometimes mistaken for Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
.
A striking feature of the Amana Colonies is that for eighty years they maintained an almost completely self-sufficient local economy, importing very little from the wider, industrializing U.S. economy, and at the same time the level of physical comfort, housing, possessions, education, and social and cultural amenities were comparable to that enjoyed by average middle class American office workers, factory workers, and tradesman of the time. The Amanians were able to achieve this independence and life style by adhering to the specialized handcrafts and farming occupations which they had brought with them from Germany. Master craftsmen passed on from one generation to the next, the knowledge, techniques, and skills of the artisan iron and copper smiths, woodwrights, weavers, shoemakers, cheese makers, etc., in the old fashion. They used hand, horse, wind, and water power, and lived a sustainable, pedestrian community life.
The Amanians were proud that they produced, right there in Amana and its surrounding villages and farms, everything they felt they needed for a good and honest life. "If we couldn't make it ourselves, we believed that we just didn't need it!" proclaims a smiling eighty-six year old woman, reminiscing about life in Amana, in the permanent video exhibit at the Amana Museum.
There were no middle-men or business executives in Amana. Its residents enjoyed the full fruits of their labors, locally. Until 1935, Amanians made their own furniture, clothes, blankets, dishes, utensils, childrens' toys, tools, candles, candy, etc., and made it well, as one can see in the extensive museum in Amana. Many of the things made during Amana's eighty years can still be found in antique shops in Amana and the eastern Iowa area; their current high prices reflect the durability, beauty, and individuality.
Today, Amana is a major tourist attraction known mainly for its restaurants and craft shops. Included in the shops are woodworking shops, wine shops, and even a brewery called Millstream
Millstream Brewing
Millstream Brewing is a small American brewery founded in 1985 by Carroll F. Zuber and brothers James Roemig and Dennis Roemig in Amana Colonies Iowa.-History:...
. The colonies as a whole have been listed as a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
since 1965.
History
Origins
The Amana colonies stem from a religious movement that was started in 1714 in Germany by Eberhard L. Gruber and Johann F. Rock, both of the Lutheran faith. They believed that God communicated through inspired individuals, just as he did in the days of the prophets. This individual was called an instrument because he is used as a tool of God's will to speak directly to his people. In 1714, Gruber and Rock started traveling through Germany and Switzerland forming small groups of followers, which became known as the Community of True Inspiration.The move to America
By 1840, there were nearly 1,000 members of the Community of True Inspiration, many living on the estates in HesseHesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
. This growth took place in spite of persecution from German officials. The government, closely tied to the Lutheran church, viewed the Community's theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
as a political threat. Even in Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Inspirationists were fined for their refusal to send children to state schools. Rising costs and rents and several years of drought aggravated the conditions on the estates. Christian Metz
Christian Metz (Inspirationalist)
Christian Metz was born in Germany and emigrated to America on October 26, 1842. Once in America he helped to create a colony for the Community of True Inspiration, a pietist sect. The first was named Ebenezer near what is now Buffalo New York...
and other leaders realized that they had to find a new home for the Community in America.
In September 1842, a committee led by Christian Metz traveled to America in search of land on which to relocate. The members purchased a 5,000 acre (20 km²) site in western New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, near Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, and by the end of 1843, nearly 350 Inspirationists had immigrated to the new settlement, which they named "Ebenezer," meaning "hitherto hath the Lord helped us."
From the start, in order to facilitate all members of the community to come to America and live together, all property in Ebenezer was held in common. The initial plan was that, after some time, the land would be divided among the people according to their contribution of money and labor. However, leaders saw that the disparity in wealth, skills and age would make it difficult for all to purchase a portion of land—the community would fall apart as a result. Therefore, in 1846, a constitution was adopted which established a permanent communal system. Any debate on this was resolved when Metz spoke a divine pronouncement endorsing the communal system after he had visited a similar communal society in Ohio.
Ebenezer flourished. By 1854 the population reached 1,200 people. Six villages were established, each with mills, shops, homes, communal kitchens, schools and churches. To accommodate this growth, additional land was purchased, but more was needed. However, the booming growth of nearby Buffalo inflated the price of land. Furthermore, the community leaders perceived a threat from the economic development around them. It was felt that capitalist and worldly influences were bringing about a growing interest in materialism
Materialism
In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
and threatened the spiritual focus of the Inspirationist community. The leadership decided it was time to move again—this time to the unsettled west.
The founding of the Amana Colonies
The community leaders first considered Kansas, but did not find anything suitable. In November 1854, the leadership traveled to IowaIowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and came back with a favorable impression of the available lands along the Iowa River
Iowa River
The Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. It is about long and is open to small river craft to Iowa City, about from its mouth...
20 miles (32.2 km) from Iowa City. The society purchased 18000 acres (72.8 km²) of Iowa land and between 1854 and 1859 the six Amana villages were founded: Amana (sometimes known as main Amana) (41.8002°N 91.8723°W), West Amana (41.8074°N 91.9654°W), Süd (South) Amana (41.7752°N 91.9680°W), Amana vor der Höhe (High Amana) (41.8036°N 91.9407°W), Ost (East) Amana (41.8090°N 91.8493°W) and Mittel (Middle) Amana (41.7953°N 91.8982°W). A seventh Amana village, Homestead (41.7600°N 91.8706°W), was purchased because of its station on the Rock Island Railroad (now the Iowa Interstate Railroad
Iowa Interstate Railroad
The Iowa Interstate Railroad is a Class II railroad operating in the central United States. The railroad is owned by Railroad Development Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-History:...
).
The Community of True Inspiration was incorporated in 1859 under the name of "Amana Society" and existed for over seventy years as a religious society operating without pecuniary profit and providing food and housing for its members, who worked on community farms, community enterprises and ate in communal kitchens.
Life in Amana, 1854-1932
The purpose of the Amana Society was to live peacefully, cooperatively, with humility and dignity, and with faith in God. The communal kitchens exemplified the goals of their society. There was no cooking in the homes; instead, people ate together in groups of thirty to sixty. There were many communal kitchens in each village and each kitchen had its own garden. People ate breakfast at 6:00 a.m., a mid-day meal at 11:30 a.m. and an evening meal at 6:30 p.m. There were also times for snacks. Men and women ate at separate tables, Grace was said before and after meals and there was no talking permitted during mealtime.The Kuechenbaas, the kitchen boss, was normally a woman. The Kuechenbaas had a high status similar to that of an elder. She was responsible for planning meals and allocating supplies like eggs to families. More common positions held by women were in the kitchens, communal gardens, and laundry, among eight occupations. Men on the other hand had 39 different jobs to choose from, including barber, butcher, tailor, machine shop worker, and doctor. People were not paid for their jobs with cash, but were given allowances of credit that they could use at the Amana shops.
Children also participated in jobs, such as harvesting and agricultural duties for boys and kitchen work for the girls. Children stayed with their mothers until they were two years old. Then, the child would have to attend Kinderschule until the age of seven. At that point, the child would attend school five and a half days a week, all year round until the age of fourteen or fifteen. At school, they shelled, cleaned and graded seed corn, picked fruit, and studied reading, writing and arithmetic.
Amana was known for its hospitality towards outsiders. Members would never turn a person in need away. They would feed and shelter hobo
Hobo
A hobo is a term which is often applied to a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, often penniless. The term originated in the Western—probably Northwestern—United States during the last decade of the 19th century. Unlike 'tramps', who work only when they are forced to, and 'bums', who do not...
s that would pass through on the train. Some would even be hired as laborers. They would receive good wages, a permit home for the length of their stay and three meals a day in the communal kitchen. Hobos were not the only outside help. Amana would hire many outside laborers to do industrial and agricultural jobs. They worked in the woolen shop, the calico-printing shop or one of the many others.
Two groups governed the Amana Society. One was the Board of Trustees. The Board had thirteen members who were elected from the Council of Elders, the second governing group. Election day was the first Tuesday in December. Men who signed the Constitution, widows, and females who were over thirty years old and were not represented by a man, were allowed to vote. The Council of Elders was confirmed by the Board of Trustees. There were also local councils.
Another important governing aspect of the society was the church, which was run by the Board of Trustees. Children and their parents worshiped together. Mothers with young children sat in the back of the church. Other children sat in the first few rows. Men and women were separated during worship: men on one side and women on the other side of the church. Older people and the “in-betweens” who were people in their thirties and forties had to attend a separate service. The service that members attended and where the members sat was a statement of their status in society. Services were held eleven times a week and did not include musical instruments and hymn singing.
Amana beliefs
The Amana Society is a Christian religion and the members believe in the teaching of the Bible, "the scriptural teachings of Jesus Christ". The members believe in a simple, inward devotion. This society does not do missionary work or evangelize. It believes in a peaceful, quiet, brotherly way of life. The name Amana was chosen from the Song of SolomonSong of Solomon
The Song of Songs of Solomon, commonly referred to as Song of Songs or Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible—one of the megillot —found in the last section of the Tanakh, known as the Ketuvim...
4:8; Amana means "to remain true".
Two men, Gruber and Rock, started this religious group. They traveled to Germany and to Switzerland preaching about Jesus Christ and his teachings; they disagreed with the Lutheran/Catholic faith's method of sermonizing and interpreting the Bible. They didn’t believe that the Lutheran/Catholic Churches taught the exact word of the Bible, so they thought themselves to be a reformed movement of true faith that followed the traditions and beliefs of the earliest Christians. Many of their beliefs or traditions were influenced by the Jewish faith. The early founders learned much by interacting with Jews and other separatist Christian groups. They believed that God used certain people as his tool as in the old testament. God would speak to them and through them if they led a simple life without the noise of too much stuff and the trappings of modern society. The title of these individuals was Werkzeug (instrument). This derived from the time of the biblical prophets like Joseph and his brothers. Today's church still gathers on Sunday mornings in both German and English and the idea remains the same. Visitors are welcome to join in on services if desired. During church services, they sing songs that were written by their church founders.
Amana and the outside world
Amana would interact with the outside world in two ways, buying and selling. Each village had a center of exchange where all goods were purchased. By the 1890s, these stores were buying a great amount of goods and raw materials from the outside world. Just Middle Amana alone had over seven hundred and thirty-two invoices from outside companies. Amana purchased anything that was felt necessary to run the society efficiently. Things such as raw wool, oil, grease, starch, pipes and fitting were bought outside of Amana. Most of the grain was purchased from the outside for their flour-mill and the printing establishment used cotton goods from the southern states. This brings into question whether Amana was truly an economically isolated society.The Great Change
By the 1930s, the communal system in Amana had generated stresses which it chose not to resolve. Many community members found the rules associated with communal living to be petty and overly restrictive. Regulations governed most aspects of daily life, including dining, dress, and leisure activities. Many young people wanted to be free to play baseball, to own musical instruments or to bob their hair in the new style. Families wanted to eat together at home rather than in the communal kitchen dining rooms. Although members received an annual spending allowance, many people felt theirs was inadequate and were frustrated by their inability to enjoy more material goods. Increasingly, the elders were unable to enforce the rules.In 1931, the community found itself in a crisis. In addition to the social strains of communal living, the community had suffered several economic setbacks in the previous decade. The Amana Society had lost an important source of revenue when its calico print works closed after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. A fire in 1923 extensively damaged the woolen mill and completely destroyed the Amana flour mill. Also, the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
had shrunk the market for the Society's agricultural products.
The Elders presented the membership with a choice: either they could return to a more austere and disciplined life or they could abandon the communal system. However, the results of the votes were not conclusive. On June 1, 1932, the members elected to retain the traditional church as it was, and to create a joint-stock company (Amana Society, Inc.) for the business enterprises, to be operated for profit by a Board of Directors. This separation of the church from the economic functions of the community—the abandonment of communalism—is still referred to by Amana residents today as the "Great Change".
Amana Colonies today
The Amana Society, Inc., corporate heir to the land and economic assets of communal Amana, continues to own and manage some 26,000 acres (105 km²) of farm, pasture and forest land. Agriculture remains an important economic base today just as it was in communal times. Because the land was not divided up with the end of communalism, the landscape of Amana still reflects its communal heritage. In addition, over 450 communal-era buildings stand in the seven villages—vivid reminders of the past.The most widely known business that emerged from the Amana Society is Amana Refrigeration, Inc., which is now a subsidiary of Whirlpool Corporation. It is one of the leading manufacturers of refrigerators, freezers, electric and gas ranges, home heating and cooling products and Amana microwave ovens. Amana's products are sold in more than one hundred countries worldwide. This national leader in the production of refrigerators was founded by an Amana native, George C. Foerstner, at the time of the Great Change. The first beverage cooler, designed for a businessman in nearby Iowa City in 1934, was built by skilled craftsmen at the Middle Amana
Middle Amana, Iowa
Middle Amana, Iowa is a location in Iowa County, Iowa. It is listed as the closest city to Amana Colonies, in its National Historic Landmark summary description....
woolen mill. In the decades that followed, the mill became the site of this large, now private, plant producing refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, and in 1965, a new product—the Amana Radarange microwave oven
Microwave oven
A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that heats food by dielectric heating, using microwave radiation to heat polarized molecules within the food...
. Today, the 19th-century woolen mill smoke stack still rises over the modern plant.
The Amana Church continues to be a vital part of the community. A visitor to Amana today would do well to visit an Inspirationist cemetery. Surrounded by pine trees to symbolize eternal life, the cemeteries continue to express the Inspirationist ethos of equality
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
, humility, and simplicity. As they have been for over 140 years, members are buried in order of death with plain, uniform headstone
Headstone
A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. In most cases they have the deceased's name, date of birth, and date of death inscribed on them, along with a personal message, or prayer.- Use :...
s. Like the cemeteries, the Amana churches are much as they were when built 125 years ago. The building exteriors are unpretentious; no steeple or colored-glass windows declare that the edifice is a house of God. Inside, the unfinished wood floors, plain pine benches and unadorned walls echo the tradition of humility
Humility
Humility is the quality of being modest, and respectful. Humility, in various interpretations, is widely seen as a virtue in many religious and philosophical traditions, being connected with notions of transcendent unity with the universe or the divine, and of egolessness.-Term:The term "humility"...
and piety
Piety
In spiritual terminology, piety is a virtue that can mean religious devotion, spirituality, or a combination of both. A common element in most conceptions of piety is humility.- Etymology :...
. Men still enter and sit on one side of a central aisle, with women on the other. Worshippers come early for quiet contemplation. English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
services were introduced in 1960, but in both German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and English services the order of worship has changed little over the years: a reading from Scripture; a reading from a testimony from Rock, Metz or Landmann; hymns that would be recognized by a congregation of a century earlier.
Today, heritage tourism
Heritage tourism
Cultural heritage tourism is a branch of tourism oriented towards the cultural heritage of the location where tourism is occurring...
has become important to the economy of the Amana area. There are a few hotels and bed and breakfasts to keep tourism alive. They also have a winter fest every year.
Historic preservation efforts by several local nonprofit organizations, as well as the Amana Society, Inc., in conjunction with land-use and historic preservation ordinances attempt to preserve the natural and built environment of Amana.
There is also a collection of sites some 13 miles (20.9 km) to the south. However, it has nothing to do with the Amana Colonies and is merely a stopping point for interstate travelers.
Important people
- Christian MetzChristian Metz (Inspirationalist)Christian Metz was born in Germany and emigrated to America on October 26, 1842. Once in America he helped to create a colony for the Community of True Inspiration, a pietist sect. The first was named Ebenezer near what is now Buffalo New York...
- Barbara Heinemann LandmannBarbara Heinemann LandmannBarbara Heinemann Landmann was twice a Werkzeug, or Instrument, for the Community of True Inspiration. A Werkzeug, under the influence of the gift of Inspiration, conveys the word of the Lord to believers. Barbara was first a Werkzeug in Germany and in Alsace...
- Bill ZuberBill ZuberWilliam Henry Zuber was a Major League Baseball pitcher who had an 11 year career in the American League from 1936 to 1947...
- professional baseball player - William Henry PresteleWilliam Henry PresteleWilhelm Heinrich Prestele was a botanical artist known for his lithographs and watercolor work commissioned by the US Department of Agriculture.- Biography :...
- lithographer
Further reading
- Haldy. "In all the papers; newspaper accounts," Communal Societies, 1994, vol. 13, pp. 20-35.
- Cosgel. "Market integration and agricultural efficiency," Communal Societies, 1994, Volume 13, pp. 36-48.
- Trujmpaid. "Hobo sketches by an Amana Station agent," The Palimpsest, 1989, vol. 20 no. 2.