Amana Colonies Guide Map

Celebrating the 20th century heritage of the Amana Colonies.

This simple little guide to Iowa’s Amana Colonies was published locally in the late 1950s or early 1960s, shortly before the site was listed oas a National historical Landmark. The map circles each of the seven constituent settlements situated across approximately 25,000 acres. Local locations of interest, transportation routes, geographic features, and traveler amenities are labeled throughout. The verso provides a brief history of the Amana Colonies, from its founding in the 1850s to its more modern work in the appliance industry.

The Amana Colonies were originally established by German Pietist refugees and were a communal society based on shared property, religious devotion, and self-sufficiency. For nearly 80 years, the Amanas thrived through shared labor and resources, maintaining a unique culture centered on simplicity and faith. Economic pressures of the Great Depression led to the incorporation of a joint stock company called the Amana Society, leading to the Great Change and the eventual commercial success of Amana Refrigeration, Inc.