Amana Colonies

"To marry is good, but to remain single is better."

Wow!  What an upbeat message to hear on your wedding day!

The History:  It was started 300 years ago in Germany by a couple of guys dissatisfied with the Lutheran church. They wanted a stricter, more devout religion and started a new form that was similar to Puritanism. They and their followers, termed Pietists and Inspirationists, were persecuted in Germany so they moved to America in 1852 and settled near Buffalo, NY.  The movement grew to 1200 members and they needed more farm land so they moved to Iowa, near Cedar Rapids, in 1855.

No quilt store left behind.

Built in 1857, the above building has 3 floors full of every artsy-craftsy thing imaginable, and, I venture to say, several things unimaginable. Trish browsed, didn't buy anything, but did buy stuff at another area quilt store.  I'm not sure what purpose this building served back in the day, given the size, a school or communal kitchen/dining room perhaps.  There are dozens of similar buildings of similar vintage in the Colonies.

History cont:  Near Cedar Rapids, they eventually acquired 26,000 acres of land and established 7 villages, The Amana Colonies.  They lived a communal life style, made or raised nearly everything they needed, worked at tasks assigned to them by the village council, received credits but no wages.  Their religion was always first and foremost; religious services were held 11 times a week.  The word amana means to 'remain true.'

Although not familiar with this breed of horses, I am familiar with the 

corn seeding machine they're 'pulling.'  My dad had one just like it.

The pix above and the 2 pix below were taken at one of the Amana museum/gift shops.

This 670 pound walnut rocking chair was made by an Amana craftsman.

The huge chair reminded me of Lily Tomlin doing her little girl (Edith Ann) routine.  I strolled around, looked at the pictures and exhibits, and lo and behold, there was a picture of Lily sitting in the chair!

These 20' benches were made in NY, then dismantled and hauled all the way to Iowa.

We sat on one for 20 minutes while watching the history video at the Heritage Museum.

I pity the schoolkids that had to sit on them several hours a day, 6 days a week, year round.

History cont: Hard times and the desire to pursue individual objectives put an end to the communal life style in 1932 but the Church and community spirit lives on.  In 1934, Amana resident George Foerstner built a beverage cooler for a local store, and that started the thriving Amana appliance business.  Heating and cooling devices were big in the early years, especially walk-in coolers used in stores and by the military in WWII.  Amana marketed the first portable microwave in 1965.  The Amana appliance company is now owned by Whirlpool, which has a large appliance factory in the Amana area.

The Amana Radarange was the first microwave oven made for home use.