Seven Villages

Once upon a time, a group of people with strong religious convictions left their homeland of Germany and transplanted themselves onto American soil.

They first began a community in New York state and later purchased a large tract of land in central Iowa. They surrendered themselves to a communal lifestyle and shared all their worldly goods. Families stayed intact, but they shared large communal homes and dining halls. 

Pictured on the left is the smokestack of the Amana Woolen Mill. The stream is manmade, designed to power the mill and as an avenue to float goods through the center of Amana's 26,000-acre farm. The Amana Society constructed six villages and later purchased the nearby hamlet of Homestead, Ia. Nowadays, seven beautiful villages are standing as relics of bygone days. There are numerous shops, restaurants, wineries, handcrafted furniture venues, butcher shops, museums, and more.

My middle daughter and I love the "family style" breakfast served in Amana restaurants. Grandson Parker slept right through the meal, but I'm pretty sure his day of feasting with Grandpa is coming soon.

My grandparents took my mother and father to the Amana Colonies for a family-style meal on their wedding day in June 1951, and my wife and I honeymooned here in January 1981.

There are many amazing sights, scents, and tastes in the colonies. 

Many large homes, dining halls, churches, and factories were constructed of sandstone, brick, and wood. They are beautiful in structure and create a lovely ambiance. (I enjoy riding my bicycle throughout the seven colonies. Pictured above.)

These seven villages have been an integral part of my life here in Iowa. My love of Early American History draws my heart to Amish farms and the Amana Colonies. Those sentiments are the inspiration for my Amish novels and soon-to-be-released Amana novel.

(Above) I'm standing in front of the Amana church in a village called "Main Amana." If you are ever passing through Iowa on Interstate 80, take a break, stretch your legs with a scenic walk, sit down to a scrumptious meal, and enjoy browsing through a few shops. You will want to make this the destination instead of a stopping point on your next vacation. 

I'll keep you posted as my Amana novel nears publication.

 Be sure to follow this blog and/or my Facebook author page. Thomas Nye on Facebook

For a list of books written by Thomas Nye, check out my Amazon Page.

Thomas Nye on Amazon

Or, more information through a tab in this blog.

Books by Thomas Nye

Ice House

 Cutting ice from rivers, lakes and ponds was a big part of life back in the 1800s and early 1900s. By around 1950 everyone in America had electricity and a refrigerator/freezer, well, almost everyone.

Most of us modern Americans have never lived more than a day or two without electricity. We get really upset when our power is interrupted by a storm or construction. Our Amish neighbors chose to not connect to electric power-plants back in the day, and they still don't use it!

I visited my son in Cedar Falls, Iowa, a few weeks back and we toured this really "cool" museum. (a pun was intended) It was right around Fathers Day, so Dallas asked, "What would you like to do?" He told me that there are several museums in town. (He knows that I'm a history buff.) When I heard about the Ice House my mind was made up.

 When I visit museums that depict life in the 1800s, I can't help but think of my Amish neighbors.

Artifacts that are on display for us to marvel at, are still being used daily on Amish farms.

Many "modern day" Amish do have gas powered refrigerators, but some are still cutting ice and have ice-houses.

 When I took this pic of my son, I didn't notice the sign about Mother's Best Flour. It seemed somehow fitting, because this son is made up of the best ingredients. Dallas appears on the covers of  Under the Heavens and English River

 This is a photo of a horse-drawn ice cutter. It was really fascinating to learn about the process of how ice was cut into big chunks and stored in this huge building. Horses wore shoes with spikes to keep their footing on the river.

 Just the structure of this building was worth stopping in to see! If you are ever near Cedar Falls, take the time to learn about our past... and our Amish neighbor's present.

The museum tickets are replicas of order forms people hung in their windows. The ice delivery-man then knew how many pounds of ice to bring into the house.