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| Welcome To The Amana Colonies |
One of our favorite memories of Iowa was our day trip to the seven
Amana Colonies villages. The seven villages are Amana, Middle Amana, High Amana, West Amana, South Amana, Homestead and East Amana. Each village had its own unique characteristics and attractions, and we were welcomed to drive through very freely, of course. One day certainly doesn't do this beautiful area justice, so maybe next trip we will plan to stay longer.
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| A 17 mile loop connects the colonies |
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| Residential Area of East Amana |
The history of the Amana colonies doesn't begin in the United States but in Germany in 1714. After persecution, excessive rents and taxes, and a killing draught, these small congregations of followers were known as the
Community of True Inspiration and came to America in 1842 and purchased 5000 acres to become a communal form of living and opened shops, mills and farmland. This communal way of life would continue uninterrupted in the Amana Colonies for 89 years.
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| High Amana Colony - Oldest General Store with original fixtures |
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| Sandstone was popular building material |
In Iowa the followers found the land they had hoped to find, and in 1855 a village was established named Amana, and then five more villages were established. By 1861 the community had grown to about 26,000 acres.
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| Lots of Shopping areas |
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| One of the original communal homesteads |
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| Large Barns and Silos are operational |
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| Another Shopping Opportunity |
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| Residential area in High Amana |
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| Almost deserted Train Station in Amana |
