AMANA COLONIES

 

 

 

SEVERAL OF THE WORKAMPERS TOLD US ABOUT THE AMANA COLONIES, AND WE HAD PLANNED TO JUST DRIVE OVER, BUT WE RAN OUT OF TIME, SO, BEFORE LEAVING IOWA AND  AFTER WEIGHING GUSTOW AT THE TRUCK STOP, WE DROVE TWO HOURS TO VISIT THE  AMANA COLONIES.

IN 1855 THE AMANA SOCIETY ESTABLISHED THE SEVEN AMANA VILLAGES ALONG THE IOWA RIVER. LIVING COMMUNALLY UNTIL 1932, THE AMANA PEOPLE, GERMAN IMMIGRANTS,  FARMED, MAINTAINED THE FORESTS, WOVE TEXTILE , BUILT FURNITURES OPERATED BAKERIES, MEAT SHOPS AND SMOKE HOUSES. SUSTAINING THAT LEGACY TODAY, THE AMANA SOCIETY MAINTAINS ONE OF IOWA'S OLDEST FARMS .

  WE GOT THERE ABOUT 2:00.  AFTER WE GOT SET UP AND  MAGGIE & MARLEE  SETTLED IN.  WE WENT TO THE LARGEST OF THE VILLAGES, AMANA, FOR   LUNCH  WE WERE HUNGRY. 

 

 

 

 

 

IT IS SUCH A QUAINT, BEAUTIFUL LITTLE TOWN, BEAUTIFUL OLD BUILDINGS.

 

 

 

 

WE BOUGHT AMANA SALAMI AND CHEESE. IT WAS DELICIOUS!!

 

 

 

WE FOUND A BAKERY AND BOUGHT BREAD.........AND TWISTED CINNAMON BREAD, A CROSS BETWEEN CINNAMON ROLLS AND BREAD....IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD!

 

 

 

 

ALL THE SHOPS WERE DECKED OUT IN THEIR  FALL DECORATIONS......

 

 

 

LOTS OF BRICK BUILDINGS....... AND WEATHERED WOOD BUILDINGS

 

 

WE WENT BACK TO THE RV PARK... TO FEAST AND ANXIOUS  TO VISIT THE OTHER SIX VILLAGES THE NEXT DAY. WE HAD A MAP AND PICKED UP THE CELL PHONE AUDIO TOUR AT THE HERITAGE MUSEUM. 

 

 

 

 

WE WOKE TO FREEZING TEMPERATURES....IT WAS IN THE 30'S ALL DAY WITH A WIND . VERY UNCOMFORTABLE!!!   BUT WE  BUNDLED UP AND HEADED THE   TWO MILES  TO EAST AMANA, THE SMALLEST OF THE COLONIES. EACH VILLAGE HAD A CHURCH, A FARM, MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENCES AND COMMUNAL KITCHENS.  THE COLONIES WERE PLACED  ONE HOUR APART WHEN TRAVELING BY OX CART.  

 

 

 

 

THEY RAISED SHEEP HERE FOR THE WOOLEN  MILL.  IT WAS TOO HILLY TO FARM.

 

 

 

 

THE NEXT VILLAGE WE VISITED WAS MIDDLE AMANA. THIS WAS THE LAST VILLAGE BUILT.

 

 

 

IT IS THE SIGHT OF THE AMANA FACTORY, WHICH EMPLOYS THREE THOUSAND PEOPLE.

 

 

 

 

GOING ON DOWN THE ROAD WE CAME TO HIGH AMANA, NAMED

 BECAUSE IT IS HIGH ON THE BLUFFS, AND VERY HILLY.

 

 

 

 

WE STOPPED AT THE GENERAL STORE, LOTS OF INTERESTING STUFF IN THERE.

 

 

 

 

WE DROVE BY THEIR CEMETERY, ALL THE HEADSTONES LOOKED ALIKE , JUST PLAIN STONE MARKERS. 

 

 

 

 

WE FOUND OUT THAT THEY ARE  ALL ALIKE  TO SYMBOLIZE THE EQUALITY OF ALL PEOPLE IN THE EYES OF GOD AND THEY ARE BURIED IN THE ORDER OF DEATH, NOT IN FAMILY PLOTS.

 

THE NEXT VILLAGE WAS WEST AMANA, THE SECOND AMANA VILLAGE BUILT.

 

 

 

 

  THERE WAS A LARGE SANDSTONE QUARRY NEAR HERE AND WAS USED TO BUILD THE STRUCTURES. THIS VILLAGE HAS MORE SANDSTONE STRUCTURES THAN ANY OF THE OTHER  VILLAGES.

 

 

 

 

 

WE STOPPED AT WHAT USED TO BE THE BLACKSMITH SHOP...WOW!! I FELT LIKE THE SHRINKING WOMAN!!

 

 

 

 

MOST OF THE BUILDINGS IN  THE VILLAGES HAS THIS LATTICE WORK..........

 

 

 

 

 

.....I WAS ABLE TO ASK THE LADY IN THE  BLACKSMITH/GIFT SHOP WHAT THAT WAS...SHE EXPLAINED IT'S FOR THE GRAPES!!! OF COURSE!!! WE ACTUALLY PICKED SOME OFF OF THIS BUILDING...VERY SWEET!!

 

 

 

 

 

WE CONTINUED ON TO SOUTH AMANA.

 

 

 

 

YOU CAN SEE THE AMERICAN/GERMAN INFLUENCE IN THEIR BARNS, THEY WERE BUILT OUT OF WOOD AND LEFT TO WEATHER. HORSES AND HAY WERE KEPT IN THE BARNS AND FIRE WAS ALWAYS A CONCERN.

 

 

 

 

 THE AUDIO TAPE TELLS THE STORY OF WHAT  HAPPENED  ONE HOT SUMMER DAY IN 1912 , THERE WAS A CLAP OF THUNDER AND  LIGHTNING STRUCK THIS BARN AND BURNED, MANY HORSES WERE LOST.  THE NEXT DAY THE HORSES WERE BURIED AND  PEOPLE CAME FROM THE OTHER AMANAS AND MANY CRIED. THE BARN WAS REBUILT BY MEN FROM ALL THE  AMANAS.

 

THE SEVENTH VILLAGE,  THE VILLAGE OF HOMESTEAD, WAS ADDED IN 1861 GIVING THE COLONIES ACCESS TO THE RAILROAD.

 

 

 

 

THE HOMESTEAD GENERAL STORE SERVED THE RESIDENTS AND FARMERS IN THE AREA, AND BEHIND THE STORE WERE TWO BRICK  BUILDINGS THAT WERE USED TO STORE THE WOOLEN AND CALICO GOODS BROUGHT  FROM AMANA.TEAMS OF HORSES WOULD BRING THE GOODS  TWICE A DAY.  THE ORDERS WOULD BE FILLED AND PUT ON THE TRAIN.

 

 

 

 

THIS IS THE HOMESTEAD CHURCH.

 

 

 

 

AMANA CHURCHES HAVE SEPARATE ENTRANCES FOR THE MEN AND WOMEN. MEN SIT ON ONE SIDE, WOMEN ON THE OTHER. ELDERS LEAD THE WORSHIP AND THE CONGREGATION SITS ON SCRUBBED PINE BENCHES. IT IS HARD TO DISTINGUISH A CHURCH FROM A HOME, THERE ARE NO STEEPLES, BUT ARE ALWAYS BRICK BUILDINGS.

 

WE ENJOYED OUR VISIT TO AMANA COLONIES, BUT THE WEATHER WASN'T WARMING UP VERY FAST, SO ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 8 WE HEADED SOUTH TO WARMER WEATHER.