We are back in Coralville after a full, full day of sightseeing. Our morning was spent in the Amana Colonies. A step-on guide introduced us to the seven villages that were started as a communal lifestyle by the Society of True Inspirationalists back in the mid-1850s. Everyone had
work to do, either farming the 26,000 acres that the Colony owned or in some of the crafts that sustained their lifestyle. Meals were prepared and eaten communally and everyone shared in the economy of the colony. Every inch of yards around the homes were used for gardens or fruit trees, with trellises for grapes on the sides of the stately brick homes. Within the homes, each family had a two room apartment. The church was the core of their lives with 11 services weekly and the leadership making decisions for everyone. But in 1932, the colony made the Great Change. The communal lifestyle ended. Shares in the Amana Corporation were distributed to the people, individual families lived in their own homes, and the church no longer directed the economy of the people. Today the Amana Colonies carry on the craftsmanship for which they have been known. We visited a winery, a furniture factory, a bakery, the woolen mill, a brewery and a museum with so much information about the Amanas. Our last stop was at the Ox Yoke Inn for a delicious meal.
Our afternoon was spent in Kalona, IA, home of the largest Amish-Mennonite settlement west of the Mississippi River. These people, like those of the Amana Colonies, also came from German roots, but their breakaway in religious beliefs took place in the 1500s, about 200 years earlier. The various Amish and Mennonite groups in the area live their lifestyle based on the Bible as they interpret it. We saw horses and buggies on the roads and at various businesses around town. We also saw tractors with steel wheels working the fields. After an introduction to the Kalona area, we visited a bakery, watched noodles being made (a great way to use the egg yolks left after baking many, many angel food cakes), went to a cheese factory and a woodworking shop. We spent a good bit of time at the Kalona Historical Village because it had displays of old quilts, collections of everything from dishes to rocks, as well as an entire village: school, depot, homes, a Grandpa's house and barns filled with tools, machinery and automobiles. With our step-on guide we continued to a Beachy Mennonite home for dinner. The home looked as modern as any of ours with electricity and a dishwasher, but the women preparing and serving the meal wore simple dresses (some in pastel colors) and head coverings. We were introduced to the delights of Amish peanut butter (mixed with marshmallow cream and a little bit of corn syrup), tapioca salad, homemade noodles, mashed potatoes with browned butter and a choice of pies for dessert. We did not go away hungry!-Laurel Johnson, Tour Director
work to do, either farming the 26,000 acres that the Colony owned or in some of the crafts that sustained their lifestyle. Meals were prepared and eaten communally and everyone shared in the economy of the colony. Every inch of yards around the homes were used for gardens or fruit trees, with trellises for grapes on the sides of the stately brick homes. Within the homes, each family had a two room apartment. The church was the core of their lives with 11 services weekly and the leadership making decisions for everyone. But in 1932, the colony made the Great Change. The communal lifestyle ended. Shares in the Amana Corporation were distributed to the people, individual families lived in their own homes, and the church no longer directed the economy of the people. Today the Amana Colonies carry on the craftsmanship for which they have been known. We visited a winery, a furniture factory, a bakery, the woolen mill, a brewery and a museum with so much information about the Amanas. Our last stop was at the Ox Yoke Inn for a delicious meal.
Our afternoon was spent in Kalona, IA, home of the largest Amish-Mennonite settlement west of the Mississippi River. These people, like those of the Amana Colonies, also came from German roots, but their breakaway in religious beliefs took place in the 1500s, about 200 years earlier. The various Amish and Mennonite groups in the area live their lifestyle based on the Bible as they interpret it. We saw horses and buggies on the roads and at various businesses around town. We also saw tractors with steel wheels working the fields. After an introduction to the Kalona area, we visited a bakery, watched noodles being made (a great way to use the egg yolks left after baking many, many angel food cakes), went to a cheese factory and a woodworking shop. We spent a good bit of time at the Kalona Historical Village because it had displays of old quilts, collections of everything from dishes to rocks, as well as an entire village: school, depot, homes, a Grandpa's house and barns filled with tools, machinery and automobiles. With our step-on guide we continued to a Beachy Mennonite home for dinner. The home looked as modern as any of ours with electricity and a dishwasher, but the women preparing and serving the meal wore simple dresses (some in pastel colors) and head coverings. We were introduced to the delights of Amish peanut butter (mixed with marshmallow cream and a little bit of corn syrup), tapioca salad, homemade noodles, mashed potatoes with browned butter and a choice of pies for dessert. We did not go away hungry!-Laurel Johnson, Tour Director
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