I am familiar with the communes that existed in my home state of California. Many didn’t work out so well (ie. Charlie Manson). So I was curious about the Amana Colonies in Iowa, especially since I have always bought Amana appliances. They are unrelenting workhorses, unlike the more modern fussy ones. I drove up to Des Moines and headed east, way out into the country.
I arrived to discover a colony of 7 villages, built in the 1850’s. The buildings remain, and now house darling boutiques, restaurants, hotels, wineries and breweries. The entire colony is on the National Historic Register! I felt like I was stepping back in time into a German hamlet.
I went first to the Visitor Center, which hosts a coffee shop, and to my great luck – the town patriarchs enjoying their weekly gathering. I sidled up to them, while they ate their homemade cinnamon rolls from the Colony Cottage Bakery. and gleaned a wealth of information. Many of them are descendants of the original settlers. That piqued my curiosity. Why did this communal society work so well that many of the descendants still live here?
Norm, the gentleman to my right, owns Schanz Furniture. He, along with his ancestors, have been making furniture here for almost 2 centuries – and it is made to last through the generations.
Terry is the town singer, and can often be heard at the church. As musical instruments were not used in the services, the voices are honed to perfection and the church buildings designed with precision acoustics for vocals.
Dan prints “The Bulletin” which can be found on AmanaColonies.com. It is the town’s news publication.
Dennis designed and sold Amana hotel heaters and air conditioners. It was his superb idea to put a bright light around the perimeter of the vanity mirror in the Hotel Millwright. Those of us who apply cosmetics thank you, Dennis. It is near-to-impossible to shade colors properly with insufficient lighting.
Gordon is the town artist. He crafted the American Gothic statue outside of the Visitor Center.
Stop by and chat with these gentlemen. They are fascinating and hilarious. You will greatly enjoy your time with them. Plus, Stacey Colledge (Executive Director) and Alicia are the wonderfully helpful staff of the Visitor Center. I returned often for their insightful assistance.
I went down the road to check into the Hotel Millwright. It was created inside the original wool mill, which still operates to this day.
Interiorly, it is impressively contemporary and chic; exteriorly, it is architecturally classic. They have merged history with the modern exquisitely. Onsite is the original wool factory that sells their creations: Warped & Woven Mill Mercantile. And the hotel restaurant, the Indigo Room, incorporates meats from the original town smokehouse. Since the Amana tradespeople have been doing their crafts continuously for almost 200 years, they definitely know what they are doing! They have perfected their methodologies. Which brings me to their breweries and wineries.
Yes – Germans are definitely known for their beer, but I was surprised to learn that in the Amana Colonies, they particularly specialized in wine. Pictured here are two sister wineries, side by side. The Ackerman offers more fruit sweet wines. The rhubarb was delightful and the dandelion was exceptional. The Fireside has drier grapes wines. I was told that the original town homes were built with trellises on each wall to provide every family with grapes for their own wines.
I spent one day driving the 15-mile loop through the Amana villages. Each one has unique shops and museums. Be sure to stop at the Fern Hill Gifts & Quilts in South Amana. It has three stories: antiques in the basement, beautifully presented gift items on the first floor that invite slow perusal, and artistically designed fabric on the top floor.
The fabric designer, Stephanie Brandenburg, is the daughter of the shop owner. I didn’t want to leave her colorful heaven. In the former days of the Colony, quilts were made with only two pieces of calico fabric – one for the top and one for the bottom. Then the families would hand-quilt it together. That really sounds lovely, but I am also very thankful for the modern quilts that are so vibrant and creatively pieced.
Drive the few miles over to High Amana and visit the General Store. Hopefully Kathie will be working the day you stop by. Both lines of her ancestry trace back to the original members of the Amana Society from Ronneburg Germany in the early 1700’s. So she has a depth of insight into the Colony that many don’t.
As you walk around the little villages, you will see plenty of charming areas to sit and relax. I especially adore the tandem swings.
I ended my trip at the Heritage Museum. Here, I received a fuller understanding of the Society. When they arrived in Iowa in 1855, they were self-supporting. They made and grew everything they needed. They had massive farms and gardens, a dairy, smokehouse, tinsmith, blacksmith, wool and flour mills. etc. Each resident was assigned a job. Wages were not paid. They earned hour-credits to be redeemed in the general stores in each village. There were communal kitchens that provided three meals and two snacks each day. The children attended school six days a week, year round. These Germans were hard working and hard playing. They cultivated relationships through their shared lives that have lasted to this day, even though their communal system ended in 1932. They have never had a police department. No Mayor. No town council. Just nine elected board members of the Amana Society provide the leadership. Amana was not created as a Utopian society, but I kind of feel like it is. They know how to get along (a lost art in our current world). It is an extra special treat to spend time with these endearing folk. Come to one of their many festivals and let them lavish you with their true, old-fashioned, good-natured hospitality.