CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - As America marks 250 years, the Amana Colonies stand as a reminder that the promise of the country’s founding drew people from across the world — including a group of German separatists who built something in eastern Iowa that has lasted for generations.
The colonies are known for German food, festivals, and year-round tourism. But the history behind the communities stretches back more than 300 years to Germany — and the path to Iowa was not a simple one.
Roots in religious persecution
Jon Childers of the Amana Heritage Society said the story begins in the early 1700s, when a group of Lutheran separatists sought to break from their church in Germany.
“Basically they were Lutheran separatists, for the most part,” Childers said. “After about 125 years living as an other in Germany, there was this renewed kind of — I call it persecution — but they were fined, there were extra taxes levied. People were suspicious of them.”
Childers said the group eventually decided to leave for America, where freedom of religion was established law. Around 2,000 people first settled in New York before relocating in 1855 to what is now known as the Amana Colonies.
A communal society takes root
The wealthiest members of the group funded the move, with the expectation of being repaid within a few years. That repayment never came.
“We’ll purchase land, we’ll set up villages, and then after a few years, people can pay us back,” Childers said. “A farm — we’ll have paid for his house already, and we will sell him land and all of that — but it ended up working out so well that they decided to make the communal society run in perpetuity.”
‘The Great Change’
The community lived communally for roughly 90 years before internal tensions emerged. By the 20th century, younger residents had grown dissatisfied. A new economy and changing technology put pressure on the commune, and members faced a choice between adapting or preserving tradition.
It came down to a vote.
“In order to maintain our community, we need to initiate this great change that will then transform the economy, not to drop something that we think is failing,” Childers said. “It wasn’t suiting the purpose of the membership, and it wasn’t suiting the purposes of the community that was meant to be lasting forever.”
In 1932, members approved what became known as “The Great Change.” It created the Amana Society, which maintained the church while establishing a profit-sharing corporation that encouraged private enterprise.
Childers said the decision helped preserve both the community’s German heritage and its traditions for future generations — a story he believes fits squarely into the broader American experience.
“A lot of people who have looked at the Amana’s — even some scholars — say Amana has failed,” Childers said. “Well, Amana hasn’t failed.”