Hi everyone! Today, we stopped in the Amana Colonies in Iowa County. I had the opportunity to visit the Amana Heritage Museum and learn about the early history of the Amana Colonies. The Amana Colonies are known for their rich German heritage. The Amana Colonies’ founders came from a religious Inspirationalist group called the Community of True Inspiration in Germany. The Amana Society, a group of about 800 Inspirationalists led by Christian Metz, immigrated to America in 1860 in search of land in which to settle. Their first settlement was in Ebenezer, NY, but they sought land more suitable for farming and soon discovered land in Iowa that belonged to native settlers. After purchasing land from Natives, the people started farms and gardens for food, as well as materials to build and expand.
The museum I visited today had many exhibits that highlighted some of Amana’s most important history. It consisted of 3-4 buildings, some of which were still in tact from the original settlement. Those buildings were once a church, a school house, a community kitchen, and a woodshed. First, we watched a slideshow video that told us about the colonies’ earliest history. It featured real letters and entries written by founders and settlers about what life was like at that time, things like farming, building, and cooking. The original Amana colonies lived in what they called a Community settlement. Their economy was entirely self-sufficient and instead of a typical income, members would receive an annual spending allowance. All the food eaten by the community was harvested and cooked by women in “community kitchens” where they would cook for upwards of 40 people for every meal. They build mills to work in, most famously their Woolen mill. And like I mentioned, if they needed something made, they found someone who could make it. These skills were passed down generation to generation, and the colonies functioned this way for several decades.
I found this cookbook in the gift shop that contained salvaged recipes from when everything was made in the communal kitchens, as well as some history about communal cooking and gardens.
The Community era came to an end in 1931 and during the Great Depression when a fire devastated a majority of the colonies’ buildings and farms, including their flour mill. They decided to convert their economy to a more free-market and split the Amana Society into two: one for-profit stock company, and the non-profit church society.
The other museum exhibits had many artifacts from the past two centuries. There were facts and excerpts about each of the mills that taught me about the work they did and how it all came to be. One thing that the museum highlighted was printing and book binding in the Amana Colonies. I got to look at lots of very old books from before the 1900s.
I also learned a lot about women’s rights and their contribution to the Amana Society. There were many exhibits about women’s history, such as their work in community kitchens, and earning the right to vote and further their education, notably ahead of the rest of the country.
I learned a lot from the museum and from the people I met today. I loved talking to people and hearing their stories about their grandparents or even their parents’ lives growing up in the Amana Society. I was so blown away by their history and how much they embrace their culture and heritage.
Although we aren’t in Europe or Germany this tour, I am so grateful to have learned so much about German heritage (my heritage) so close to home. I had lots of fun today exploring the colonies. I did lots of shopping and lots of learning today. And of course, what better way to celebrate German heritage than to eat a good old-fashioned bratwurst?
Tour is off to a great start. I can’t wait for what lies ahead of us!
Dylan Feuling ‘25
Alto Saxophonist
Des Moines, Iowa