Calling themselves the True Inspiration Congregations (German: Wahre Inspirations-Gemeinden),[3] they first settled in New York near Buffalo in what is now the town of West Seneca.

The Amanians were able to achieve this independence and lifestyle by adhering to the specialized crafting and farming occupations that they had brought with them from Europe.

They used hand, horse, wind, and water power, and made their own furniture, clothes, and other goods.

"[11] The Amana Colony stems from a religious movement started in 1714 in Germany by Eberhard L. Gruber and Johann F. Rock.

They had both grown displeased with the dogmatism of the Lutheran Church and began to study the Pietist teachings of Philipp Spener.

[12] Gruber and Rock fervently spread their beliefs and gained a following originally known as the New Spiritual Economy.

This individual was called an instrument (German: Werkzeug) because he was thought to be used as a tool of God's will to speak directly to his people.

[14] To spread their beliefs, the group led by Rock and Gruber traveled through Germany, Switzerland, and the Dutch Republic.

[15] The Inspirationalists faced the opposition of the governments of the German states because they refused to serve as soldiers and would not send their children to Lutheran public schools.

[17] Gruber died in 1728 and Rock followed in 1749; left without an instrument, the Inspirationalists' numbers declined in the subsequent decades.

[18] Within a span of a few months starting in 1817, Michael Krausert, Barbara Heinemann, and Christian Metz were all named instruments.

[20] The Community continued to face persecution from German states for their refusal to serve as soldiers or utilize public schools.

[22] The Hesse government levied harsher fines and rents against the Community in the wake of economic turmoil in the late 1830s.

However, leaders saw that the disparity in wealth, skills and age would make it difficult for all to purchase a portion of land—the community would fall apart as a result.

Buffalo's growth also greatly increased nearby real estate prices, making an extension to Ebenezer financially unfeasible.

[33] One early problem for each settler was the lack of rail access; the nearest station was in Iowa City 20 miles (32 km) away.

Members who were expelled or voluntarily left the Community would receive all of the money they had invested into the common fund plus interest.

[42] A citizen would be expelled from the community for one year for marrying an individual outside of the colonies, even if the partner wished to join the society.

[47] The communal kitchen concept eroded some time around 1900, as married residents began to eat in their own homes.

The noon meal on Sunday was rice soup, fried potatoes, creamed spinach, boiled beef, streusel, and tea or coffee.

Menus changed with the seasons; for example, more beef and pork was served in the autumn and winter because it was easier to keep fresh meat.

Men on the other hand had 39 different jobs to choose from, including barber, butcher, tailor, machine shop worker, and doctor.

At that point, the child would attend school six days a week, all year round until the age of fourteen or fifteen.

At school, they shelled, cleaned and graded seed corn, picked fruit, and studied reading, writing and arithmetic.

They would receive good wages, a permit home for the length of their stay and three meals a day in the communal kitchen.

Services were held eleven times a week and did not include musical instruments and hymn singing.

Amana purchased anything deemed necessary to run the society efficiently, such as raw wool, oil, grease, starch, pipes and fittings.

Amana Farms has built a 1,600,000 US gal (6,100 m3) anaerobic digester with funding from the Iowa Office of Energy Independence, which produces fertilizer, heat for buildings, and methane for generating electricity.

[55] Whirlpool sold the Amana, Iowa refrigerator plant property to Wramia001, a Chicago-based limited liability company, in October, 2020 for $92.6 million dollars.

There are hotels and bed and breakfasts that support the tourist industry, as well as many independent shops, local artists and craftspeople, and restaurants serving family-style meals.