The Difference Between Amish and Amana Colonies

We have heard about Iowa's Amana Colonies for many years, but really didn't understand what they were. Were they Amish, or not? Well, this day we were going to find out. We headed east across the center of the state of Iowa. We could have taken the fast route down Interstate 80. But we opted for Hiway 92, with its 55-mph speed limits, rolling hills, and small towns with names like Pleasantville and Oskaloosa. We also made a u-turn in the town of Indianola (not an easy thing to do when you're pulling a trailer), to go back to the Saturday morning farmer's market. We bought our first Iowa sweet corn, sweet garden peas, and cucumbers. The rest of our drive was through a constant sea of corn and bean fields.

We come from wheat country, but we saw very little wheat in Iowa. Very often we would have corn on one side of the road, and soy beans on the other. We're guessing that they rotate these two crops, as we often saw a few tall corn plants coming up volunteer in the bean fields.

The reason for this slower route was to make a stop, not at the Amana Colonies, but through the Amish town of Kalona. It was 2.5 hours down the highway today. Our first stop was at the local Amish bakery--Golden Delight Bakery--for a pecan roll, apple fritter, raspberry jam, and cranberry-pecan-cinnamon swirl bread. They were all yummy! You know you are in the right neighborhood for some good bakery goods when you see the feed for the cattle in shocks in the field, rather than those fancy round hay bales.

The next stop was an Amish discount grocery store. These scratch-and-dent stores sell crushed packages and almost-expired goods that they get from other stores cheap. We like to buy unusual food items that are usually too expensive for a tasting test. We had a cart of unique protein bars, low-sugar gummies, honey, pecan apple butter, and soap. It's good Amish fun for us to go to these unlighted, un-air-conditioned businesses where you can't use credit cards and there's usually a horse and buggy parked out front.

As we drove in this country neighborhood, we giggled  to see we were on the Yoder Turnpike as we passed neat Amish and Mennonite farms.

But our destination today was not Amish or Mennonite--it was the Amana Colonies. The people that lived in the colonies had some things in common with those groups. They came from Europe to America to escape religious persecution, and settled in groups with like-minded believers. They also seem to put a lot of effort in planting flowers around their houses. But that was where the similarities ended.

The citizens of the Amana Colonies moved to Iowa, where they pooled their money and bought 26,000 acres collectively. Instead of living in one community, they built seven different colonies so the workers would be spread across their land. The villages were strategically located an hour's ox-cart ride apart. They lived communally, sharing the work and the profits. Families lived in homes that were owned and built by the church. Workers were assigned duties and worked long days, but received no wages. They did get a free place to live, and all their meals and clothes were provided.

Homes didn't have kitchens, because they took all their meals at one of the 50 communal kitchens that prepared meals for big groups of workers at once. Amana citizens were assigned to caring for crops, cutting wood, building furniture, growing community gardens, weaving in the woolen mills, or milking colony-owned cows . . . The plan worked for the Amana Colonies from 1855 until they were disbanded in 1932.

It was too late in the day to tour the four museums scattered around the seven colonies. So we opted for a 14-mile Amana Colonies road trip that was recommended by the woman at the visitor center. Using the audio guide, we visited the following highlights in the following colonies:

Middle Amana - We drove by the only surviving commerical kitchen. Women that were assigned to work here prepared 3 meals, plus snacks for two coffee breaks every day.

High Amana - We stopped for a look at the General Store. It had the same fixtures, wooden floor, and tin ceilings as it did when built in 1858.

West Amana - We had a planned stop at an art gallery, but it was closed on the weekend during the peak tourist season.

South Amana - We walked through the Fern Hill Gifts and Quilt Store. The second floor fabric area was filled with bright quilt material that made a pretty picture. We also made another stop at Schanz Furniture to see some good quality hand-made wooden decor items.

Homestead - This is home to the Village Church Museum, and where this evening's Zither concert was held.

Amana - This seems to be the most touristed village with the most stores and restaurants. We stopped in at the chain-saw carver, the Amana Furniture store, and the mercantile that sells the woven linens that are still made in the textile mill. The mill has been on this site since the 1850s, and many of the original Amana citizens were assigned to work here. 

Now the only textile mill in Iowa, they use computers to design and run the machines that can weave a wool blanket in three minutes. Only a small fraction of the original mill is needed for the current smaller operation. The rest of the mill has been divided into hotel rooms. We checked out the hotel lobby, with its industrial vibe and an interesting wall of old thread spools decorated the lobby wall.

Amana was hosting the Tour de Brew bike race today. Over 500 bicyclers pedaled their way across 30 miles of Iowa hills. 

The Millstream Brew Company provided frothy drinks and live music. We joined the bicyclers for the live music.

One of the must-do activities for a trip to the Amana Colonies is to eat a meal at one of the German restaurants. The German families that immigrated to the colonies brought their cuisine, and it is available to visitors today. We chose a platter meal at the Ronneburg Restaurant (named for a German castle) that included Bavarian chicken, fried potatoes, green beans, seasoned cottage cheese, homemade bread and butter. One platter was plenty for two of us. Another popular option at the Amana Colony restaurants is the family-style meals where the side dishes are passed at the table and can be refilled if needed. But at $32 per person, it's an expensive option.

We ended the busy day at another live music venue at the old Festhalle Barn. All the colonies have many of the original houses and buildings from the 1850's. Some of them are in good repair, while the old barn behind the band looked like it might fall down in the next wind storm.

So, to return to the differences between the Amish and the Amana Colonies... We discovered that the Amana Colonies practiced the communal lifestyle where all the property was owned by the church and was shared. Amish families own their own property and homes. Amish reject modern conveniences like electricity and cars and maintain a seperation from worldly influences. The Amana Colonies embraced modern technology and used electricity. In fact, the Amana company was started here and was a forerunner of the microwave industry and other appliances. Anyone that owned one of the first Radarange microwave ovens will be surprised that it was developed and built here in Amana. While the Amish's religious beliefs stem from the Anabaptist tradition, the Amana Colonies was part of a German Pietist group called the "True Inspiration Congregation."

It was interesting to spend a little time in both the Amish and Amana cultures this day. It was also fun to see and taste their differences first hand. We would say that one similarity is that both of these groups are good cooks!