The Washboard and Tub

This item was useful in the community wash houses. These boards, with their grooved scrubbing surfaces, made it easier to wash clothes before machines were invented. The grooved surfaces were made of wood ( Scandinavia), zinc or copper or iron or glass  (American).They were framed in wood and usually factory made. The boards were placed in a hot tub of water, usually heated in the wash house, placed near a clothesline and readied to wash on Mondays.  Soap was handmade at the local soap works. The wash was put in wooden baskets and carried to the clothesline where it was pinned to hang in the sunshine.

                           

                                            

Die-Cut Calendars

Pressed cardboard, die- cut calendars were manufactured in Germany after World War 2 and some before, into the early 1950's. Through trade relations, many were exported to the US. Some were stamped where made, others not. They varied in size and used for advertising. The graphics were great, nice color, beautiful detailing, and intricate cut outs. Some of them were embossed or raised in the design. A calendar fit in the bottom slots. Some Amana Society businesses would give the clients or special customers a piece like this during the holiday season. They were very much admired and requested for their well made quality. Very collectible, they are small treasures.

Iowa Valley Byway

In 1998 an Iowa county committee of three developed a plan for a new Iowa Valley Scenic Byway. It was supported by the Iowa Department of Transportation. The prime time for the creation of these scenic roads was 1910-1926, now numbered instead of named. A new Byway logo and signage was created along with outreach programs to create an awareness of this new Byway. It runs from Tama, including the Native American Mesquakie Settlement,  to the Amana Colonies, focusing on the cultural and historical attributes of the trail towns.  It is 77 miles long and follows the Iowa River Valley including Iowa, Benton and Tama counties. It passes through the towns of Amana Colonies, Marengo, Kosta, Chelsea, Tama, and Montour. There are some incredible views and wildlife habitats to see along the Iowa River trail while bypassing the main traffic areas.

Bell Tower

Each village in the Amanas had a bell tower near each end of the village. The bells inside rang four times daily, Monday to Saturday and three times on Sundays. During summer workdays the bells rang at 6 and 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 and 6:30 p.m. to end the day. On Sundays the bells rang at 8 and 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. A man that lived nearby was responsible for ringing the bells at the correct times, checking the accurate Regulator clocks at the railroad station or General store. Townspeople would set their home clocks and watches to the bell tower bell.  The sound of the bells ended with the close of the communal system in 1932.

The Pharmacy

                                    

In Amana, Homestead and Middle there were licensed pharmacies at one time. The quality of the drugs prepared for the outside market was not big, only special orders filled. Local doctors got supplies at these pharmacies. The Inspirationists of Amana were the first group west of Chicago to begin manufacture of pepsin and was considered one of the best on the market at that time. The chemist, Conrad Schadt,was instrumental in making it. The Amana pharmacies had an excellent reputation due to Amana ingenuity, inventive skill, dexterity, and general business saavy. The old buildings are now retail businesses. There is now a pharmacy/clinic located near the bank in Amana that serves many villages and nearby communities.

The Meat Shop

The meat shops in old Amana used to supply the kitchen houses meat for the communal kitchens. Each village had one in business for most of the time, now only Amana meat market is Society owned and operational. The one in Homestead is private, owned by a nice couple that keep food natural. The one South Amana had an arched ceiling to smoke meat. It later was the Colony Market Place restaurant, now a studio.  Amana meat shop is largely a mail order business, especially at Christmastime. It is busy during the tourist season as well and still supplies locals.  It is well known for its made in house brats which are plain or smoked. Cheeses, salads, fresh meats, dried beef, pickled ham and other savory and sweet items are sold. Hams were once hung in the smoke tower all day long to preserve and cure it to the to the old world standard of Westphalia, Germany. Gift and kitchen items are also available for purchase in a meat market much the same in the interior as it was 50 years ago. Pictured are the late Carl Sontag and Carl Oehl.  AMS photos, my photos

        

WOODEN SHOES 2

The Amana Community wash house was was attached to a community kitchen. In it one would find water pails, wooden wash tubs, wooden crossbucks, clothes line shuttles of large, flat wood pieces, wooden baskets and more, all hand made by wood workers and coopers. One of the most unusual pieces found in the wash house were the wooden shoes, with leather uppers and wooden soles,  that the women wore to keep their feet dry while working on the wet floors. They were hand carved and very sturdy, functional shoes seen as folk art today.