Sawmill..

There were many mills in Amana but the saw mill helped to make a more successful community in the Iowa River Valley. It was one of the first mills and factories set up in Iowa.  The original colonists put together their strong will and character to continue on from Ebenezer, New York to build houses,  shops, mills, factories, churches, and schoolhouses. The houses were all very well built and had a simple style architecture. It was the purpose of the Inspirationists to build houses as nearly alike as possible. 40-100 hardwood, frame houses were arranged in the manner of a German village -one long street with several offshoots with barns and sheds at one end, factories and workshops on the other. The sawmill in each village took care of some 10,000 acres total of hardwood to make these buildings. The one in Amana was located south of the Woolen Mill near the Millrace stream. All the wood forfurniture in the houses was also cut at the sawmill and made by local carpenters, pre-1932. The remains of the Amana mill are still there.