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.

Wire Corn Crib

The corncrib, called such because of the open sides of the structure that allow the whole husk corn to continue to dry while in storage. This created good ventilation from side to side. Corn on the ear could be dried  earlier and kept longer than shelled corn.  The corn crib was an architectural masterpiece made from wood slats and wire mesh, with cement elevated floors to keep out rodents. Corncribs were used well into the 1950's. Advances in storage, combines, picking methods, and technoligy have slowly brought these  stately outbuildings to their demise. Those that remain now stand weathered and remind us of a bygone era of shelling by hand and feeding hogs. Most corn today is shelled from the cob by machine during the harvest and then stored in grain bins. The larger corncribs, as this rectangular Amana one, has a large center space used to store wagons in the past.

Hospital Barn in Amana

The barn, built before 1900, stands on the eastern end of Amana in the Visitors Center complex facing the wire corn crib. The stately barn is constructed of sandstone and wood.  Here, the Amana farmers used to tend calves that were in need of extra care. They stayed in sheltered stalls beneath the hayloft where they were cared for daily. To the east of the barn grounds is Price Creek, creating a most beautiful setting for the complex.