Amana Colonies, Iowa

Last week, my husband, surprised me with a little
"fall" road trip.  He was in the hopes of seeing some fall color, as our trees are still very green.

It is hot some days, warm others. We have not had a frost yet.  My annual flowers, although not looking great, have not died because of the cold.

He had mapped out a 3 day, 2 night adventure for us.

The Amana Colonies was a first stop.  My first thought was that this is an Amish community.  We were soon reading about how the colonies were formed by German communal system, The Inspirationists.

Christian Metz and three followers traveled to America in 1842 and purchased 5,000. acres of land near Buffalo, New York. When more farmland was needed for the growing community, leaders looked to the west to purchase more farmland. They found what they were looking for in Iowa. Metz and his followers came to Iowa and build a village. A communal village was established, Amana.  The community eventually owned 26,000 acres of land and 6 more villages were built. 

Farming was the main means of support. Eventually a calico works, woolen mills craft shops, flour mills and several lumber and brick yards were built to help the economy of the communal life of the seven villages.

Our first stop was at the "Fern Hill" gifts and quilts, in South Amana. There was one of the largest selection of batik fabric I have ever seen. It has quilts made by local residents, antiques, and a Coffee Room, featuring desserts, candies, ice cream and coffee and tea.  It was a cute shop.

We past Lily Lake, which at this time of year has the remnants of the beautiful yellow lily they are famous for. It reminded me of the Lotus blossoms.  They are in bloom in August.

In Amana, there is all sorts of shopping.

The Amana Woolen Mill.  This is said to be the only woolen mill in Iowa and is still making blankets.

The visitors center is the gray building on the right.  It is modern inside, but has been built in the German style seen through the area. Oh, one fun fact. This is were "Amana" appliances were made.  Now the operation is owned by "Whirlpool".

Heritage Designs Quilting and Needlework, Amana.  It was recognized in 2009 as a Top 10 Quilt Shop  by Quilt Sampler Magazine.  They are housed in a 1895 renovated granary. Quite impressive.

At the Lehm Books and Gifts, these smaller barn quilt blocks made quite a display.  Quilt blocks were featured through out the store.

A lot of the structures in town have these fences attached to the homes and buildings. Ron, seemed to think it was for growing hops. I liked the idea of flowering vines.

As we left town heading north, we passed the largest herd of cattle I have ever seen.  The fields are being harvested, and the cattle are left to roam and feed.

The scenery in this part of Iowa is beautiful.  Gently rolling hills and valleys.

Everything is neat and tidy.

Even old barns look neat. I would like to visit the colonies again in the Spring of the year.
It was a beautiful day. (Not much color.)  We stayed in Maquoketa, Iowa for the night.
Another fun adventure was scheduled for the next day.

Mary