Spent Grain Bread

In old Amana communal days very little was wasted. A use was found for almost every kind of scrap. That tradition carries over today in a local, oldest in Iowa, brewery where they make bread from grain leftover from making beer, called spent grain.  Spent grains have nutrients and flavors after their sugars have coverted to beer.  The grain is added to regular dough to add protien and texture. It makes  a hearty, somewhat sweet, healthy loaf of bread.  In Germany, Monks used to work with fermented grains for certain types of religeous atonement.  Their bread was called Biertreberbrot.  A wonderful, creative,  local bread you must try!

The Archives

A stately building, the Archives sits by itself, against a beautiful sky, holding special words of its founders. These words were to be read and spread as the word of God.  The original founders of the Community of True Inspiration were quite prolific printers, even bringing printing presses and books with them from Germany, across the Atlantic to Enenezer, N.Y. and finally Amana. They printed their own books used for worship and religious study as they contained thoughts and ideas of early church leaders. Also, childrens books, ledgers, Sunday School books, and business operation documents were  printed. Many of these artifacts survived the orginal journey or were donated and stored in the church archives as some  pre date 1714, the founding date of the Community of True Inspiration. Many are printed with the old German script so had to be transcribed and translated. Lots of these papers coordinate with and inspired the historical and digital archives, with its at least eight different geneology research subjects, at the Amana Heritage Museum today.

The Radarange

The Radarange (RR1) was first released in 1967 by Amana Refrigeration, a division of Raytheon then, owned by Whirlpool now. In 1947 Raytheon Co. came up with the name of this new microwave oven  "Radarange"
through an employee contest.  The concept of quick microowave cooking had arrived! It set the bar for the competition for years to come. It was very stylish with lots of chrome, class, and workmanship.  It was the first popular home microwave oven even though sales at first were slow due to size, weight, and cost but by 1967 iit was smaller, safer and more reliable than some on market. By 1971 prices lowered due to competition.  Dr. Perry Spencer, a self-taught engineer with the Raytheon Corporation, discovered the microwave by accident while testing magnetron tubes and eventually invented this revolutionary, multimillion dollar industry of microwave ovens. At one time they outsold gas ranges with about 90% of homes having a microwave of some brand. The vintage Radarange was very popular in Amana and around the world with the production plant being in Middle Amana. The newer, electronic models are still valued  today for quick cooking and reheating.

Stone Quarries

Many of the old stone and brick buildings in The Amana Colonies were built to last  for years and years. The good materials, many of which came from the local area and Iowa City, lended homes made for strength and durability. The  builders were proud that the brick, stone, and wood were formed, quarried or cut in the Amana area. The sandstone quarry was only a half block from where the church stands today. It was located  along Price Creek near the Meat Shop. It yielded  a very hard stone.
The  West Amana quarry was about a quarter mile west of town. High Amana's quarry was located a quarter mile east of High while Middle Amana had a quarry on the  north side near the creek. There were two brickyards in South Amana  due to the good quality of its clay. The great architecture today showcases these sturdy stones and bricks of past local quarries.

The Archives

Old Amana Church Archives

The Kinderschule

The Kinderschule was a special place for children ages 3-5,  a preschool tended to by the older ladies of communal Amana so the younger women could work in the community  kitchens and gardens. The Kinderschule  care providers were often known to the children because of the closeness of the community. Some were like extended family members to the children. The working mothers would visit at noon and pick children up after work.  In this one room day care, separate from the regular schools, teachers focused on the German language, games, songs, and rhymes, not book learning. Here the children played in fenced schoolyards and enjoyed snacks as bread and butter with molasses, coffee with milk and lots of love.  All the children felt a sense of belonging to the community at an early age as they were seen as important citizens and could learn to fill a real need when more hands were needed. This Kinderschule still stands and is located east of the Middle Amana Church.

The Waterworks Building...

The Homestead Waterworks building has been restored and sits facing east on the east end of Homestead behind the post office building. This houses a water well.  The Amana Society had a well about 223 feet deep there drilled by J.P. Miller and Co. of Chicago. Usually, water was diverted from the Iowa River and led through a handmade  canal. That water was used in factory boilers and also supplied small gravity systems of waterworks as this one in Homestead.  This water  was  softer than ground water, used generally for washing clothes. The water from the shallower wells was used for drinking and baking. In Amana, similar water was used to scour only the wool at the Woolen Mill. That well was dug entirely with skill and labor of Amana Society workers.

The Bratwurst

The bratwurst is a favorite meat in Germany and the Amana Colonies. It is a type of sausage made from either veal or pork, or beef, or a combination. Some are mixed with herbs and spices. The name  comes from the German Brät which is connected with the meat that makes up the sausage.  So, the word "Bratwurst" refers to a type of sausage which is made from pork encased in a natural casing. It is grilled or fried in a pan, then eaten on a hard roll with German mustard as a sandwich or can be eaten as an entree with kraut and potatoes. Some add sauerkraut to the sandwich. In Germany it is ordered "grab" or " fein". Other popular German wursts from the hundreds of shops and types are Weisswurst, Currywurst, and Mettwurst.