CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – As America marks 250 years, the Amana Colonies stand as a reminder that the promise of the country’s founding drew people from across the world — including a group of German separatists who built something in eastern Iowa that has lasted for generations.
The colonies are known for German food, festivals, and year-round tourism. But the history behind the communities stretches back more than 300 years to Germany — and the path to Iowa was not a simple one.
Roots in religious persecution
Jon Childers of the Amana Heritage Society said the story begins in the early 1700s, when a group of Lutheran separatists sought to break from their church in Germany.
“Basically they were Lutheran separatists, for the most part,” Childers said. “After about 125 years living as an other in Germany, there was this renewed kind of — I call it persecution — but they were fined, there were extra taxes levied. People were suspicious of them.”…