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The religious persecutions in Europe, particularly in the German-speaking regions during the 18th and 19th centuries, generated a mass influx of religious sects into America. Political and religious turmoil in the German territories produced a wave of immigrants seeking religious freedom, political autonomy, and abundant resources. In the early decades of the 19th century, the idea of a “New Germany” was promoted based on a mixture of paternalism and romantic adventurism. However, the urge to immigrate to the United States centered on the notions of land and liberty in contrast to the distressed conditions and state of affairs in the petty German kingdoms.[1] Religious concerns ultimately decided the issue.
A primary justification for most Germans settling in America was based on their religious convictions. In 1817, Emperor Frederick Wilhelm III sought to secure his rule through a forced merger of the Lutheran and Reformed Churches into the United Evangelical Church of Prussia. He formatted an official United Church Agenda, or liturgical order of service, which prescribed the forms and orders to be followed in all churches. Many of the pastors and churches complied.[2] However, some Lutherans refused to believe this new Church, and its doctrines compromised their religious beliefs and convictions.
Inspirationists
Many others were already in rebellion with the Lutheran Church for its ritualistic form of worship more akin to Roman Catholicism than Protestant spirituality. A hundred years earlier, two leaders of this dissent within the Lutheran denomination were Eberhard Gruber and Johann Rock. Gruber, a Lutheran clergyman, and Rock, son of a Lutheran minister, founded what was deemed a cult known as the Community of True Inspiration (Wahre Inspirations-Gemeinden).[3]
The Inspirationists believed that God spoke directly to Christians through signs, visions, and a relationship with the believer. They also believed that select community members, or Instruments, were chosen to communicate God’s teaching to the faithful. During moments of inspiration, the Instrument conveyed the word and teachings of God to the community.[4]
The Inspirationists established faith communities throughout Germany, Holland, and Switzerland. As their adherents increased, so did persecution from the civil and religious authorities for their non-conformist ways. With the deaths of Gruber (1728) and Rock (1749), the elders governed the Inspirationists. But the vigor, spiritual enthusiasm, and numbers of the faithful waned.
In 1819, Christian Metz, a 24-year-old carpenter from Ronneburg, declared that he received the “gift of inspiration.” He was not a neophyte to the faith, as his grandfather, Jacob Metz, was already an adherent. Christian was known for his management skills, organizational talents, and fearless spiritual leadership.[5] His persona partially facilitated a revival of the sect.
The community grew with new adherents and the faithful developed a communal lifestyle, much to the consternation of local residents. However, these dissidents continued to incur the persecution of Lutheran church officials as well as the government. Refusal by Inspirationists to obligatory military service resulted in arrests, imprisonment, and even forfeiture of property. As early as the mid-1820s a “prophecy” emerged concerning immigration to the United States where they could openly exercise their beliefs.[6]
The harsh treatment that the Inspirationists endured worsened. The political unrest of the 1840s cast a shadow on this group now regarded as a dangerous minority. Many endured economic hardships, especially tradesmen and craftsmen, as local residents refused to conduct business with them. Most struggled daily just to exist. The case was similar for those who were day laborers, ordinary workmen and unskilled workers. These circumstances created the persuasive conditions for emigrating. That destination would be America. Unfortunately, in late 1840, Metz declared that the “time is not yet fulfilled.” But a continued series of crop failures and famines altered Metz’s convictions. On July 27, 1842, he declared:
The religious persecutions in Europe, particularly in the German-speaking regions during the 18th and 19th centuries, generated a mass influx of religious sects into America. Political and religious turmoil in the German territories produced a wave of immigrants seeking religious freedom, political autonomy, and abundant resources. In the early decades of the 19th century, the idea of a “New Germany” was promoted based on a mixture of paternalism and romantic adventurism. However, the urge to immigrate to the United States centered on the notions of land and liberty in contrast to the distressed conditions and state of affairs in the petty German kingdoms.[1] Religious concerns ultimately decided the issue.
A primary justification for most Germans settling in America was based on their religious convictions. In 1817, Emperor Frederick Wilhelm III sought to secure his rule through a forced merger of the Lutheran and Reformed Churches into the United Evangelical Church of Prussia. He formatted an official United Church Agenda, or liturgical order of service, which prescribed the forms and orders to be followed in all churches. Many of the pastors and churches complied.[2] However, some Lutherans refused to believe this new Church, and its doctrines compromised their religious beliefs and convictions.
Inspirationists
Many others were already in rebellion with the Lutheran Church for its ritualistic form of worship more akin to Roman Catholicism than Protestant spirituality. A hundred years earlier, two leaders of this dissent within the Lutheran denomination were Eberhard Gruber and Johann Rock. Gruber, a Lutheran clergyman, and Rock, son of a Lutheran minister, founded what was deemed a cult known as the Community of True Inspiration (Wahre Inspirations-Gemeinden).[3]
The Inspirationists believed that God spoke directly to Christians through signs, visions, and a relationship with the believer. They also believed that select community members, or Instruments, were chosen to communicate God’s teaching to the faithful. During moments of inspiration, the Instrument conveyed the word and teachings of God to the community.[4]
The Inspirationists established faith communities throughout Germany, Holland, and Switzerland. As their adherents increased, so did persecution from the civil and religious authorities for their non-conformist ways. With the deaths of Gruber (1728) and Rock (1749), the elders governed the Inspirationists. But the vigor, spiritual enthusiasm, and numbers of the faithful waned.
In 1819, Christian Metz, a 24-year-old carpenter from Ronneburg, declared that he received the “gift of inspiration.” He was not a neophyte to the faith, as his grandfather, Jacob Metz, was already an adherent. Christian was known for his management skills, organizational talents, and fearless spiritual leadership.[5] His persona partially facilitated a revival of the sect.
The community grew with new adherents and the faithful developed a communal lifestyle, much to the consternation of local residents. However, these dissidents continued to incur the persecution of Lutheran church officials as well as the government. Refusal by Inspirationists to obligatory military service resulted in arrests, imprisonment, and even forfeiture of property. As early as the mid-1820s a “prophecy” emerged concerning immigration to the United States where they could openly exercise their beliefs.[6]
The harsh treatment that the Inspirationists endured worsened. The political unrest of the 1840s cast a shadow on this group now regarded as a dangerous minority. Many endured economic hardships, especially tradesmen and craftsmen, as local residents refused to conduct business with them. Most struggled daily just to exist. The case was similar for those who were day laborers, ordinary workmen and unskilled workers. These circumstances created the persuasive conditions for emigrating. That destination would be America. Unfortunately, in late 1840, Metz declared that the “time is not yet fulfilled.” But a continued series of crop failures and famines altered Metz’s convictions. On July 27, 1842, he declared:
“Your goal and your way shall lead towards the west to a land still open
to you and your faith. I am with you and shall lead you over the sea.”[7]
The New World
On August 27, 1842, the faithful from all the communities gathered at Arnsburg to pray and appoint those who would find an appropriate settlement for the Inspirationists in America. Christian Metz, the 47-year-old spiritual leader of the movement, was selected. Additional members included William Noe, 38 years old, who was proficient in business affairs. Gottlieb Ackerman, 40 years old, was experienced with medical and pharmaceutical matters and George Weber, also 40, was trained as a physician. Metz later declared that a revelation from God occurred and Weber’s 11 year old son, Ferdinand, should accompany them to the New World.[8]
Metz and his group expressed feelings of dread and depression, leaving their homes to find a new one for the community. They acknowledged the burden and responsibility of this mission without certainty of success. The group left Bremerhaven on September 20, 1842, and landed in New York after a difficult thirty-seven-day voyage. During their journey, the ship’s captain, Johann Wächter, learned the purpose of their undertaking and gave them the name of a land agent, George Paulsen, in New York who had experience working with German immigrants on land purchases.[9] Metz viewed this as the work of God since they had no direction on how to proceed once they landed in the New World.
The group’s stay in New York City was brief. During his meeting with Paulsen, Metz inquired about land in Ohio but was advised that it was well settled. Wisconsin was a possibility, but Paulsen advised against it due to the many failed attempts by settlers. Paulsen did know of a large 50,000-acre tract of land in Chautauqua County, New York, and gave him a letter of introduction to Mr. Patterson of Westfield, New York, and additional letters of introduction to other land agents.
The areas of upstate and western New York were ideally suited for Metz and the community's needs. Their beliefs would be tolerated and possibly welcomed in this part of the New World. During the 1820s, western and central New York experienced a series of popular religious revivals that later earned this region the label of the “Burned Over District,” which implied the area was set ablaze with spiritual fervor.[10] During this period, various religious, non-conformist, and spiritual sects such as the Shakers, the Oneida Community, Mormons, Millerites, and others flourished here.[11]
The New World Inspirationists ventured to Albany and then proceeded by barge on the Erie Canal to Buffalo, arriving there November 12, 1842. The group lodged at the Mansion House owned by Philip Dorsheimer. This proved to be providential. While lodging at Mansion House, Metz, Weber, and an interpreter met Patterson. The land agent discussed the benefits and significance of the property in Chautauqua County. Eavesdropping on the conversation, Dorsheimer advised Metz and Weber that Patterson was overvaluing the land. He suggested they examine the Buffalo Creek Indian Reservation as it was good land soon to be opened to white settlement.[12] The location was closer to the larger Buffalo market and the Erie Canal shipping hub. Coincidentally, the other two group members were visiting local German emigres who told them of the land prospects at the Reservation. All agreed to inspect the site.
Metz, Noe, Ackerman, Weber, and Dorsheimer surveyed the area just a few miles south and east of Buffalo. Along Buffalo Creek the group encountered several sawmills and spoke with these businessmen about the industrial prospects of the site. Metz was elated at the vastness of the virgin forest and the uncultivated land.[13] The group had decided to purchase the land but agreed it was advisable to inspect the Chautauqua County tract. Metz and Noe, along with the property agent, traveled some seventy miles throughout the county, but the Inspirationists viewed the Buffalo Creek site as a more favorable where they could establish their colony.
Serious negotiations for the land purchase commenced at the end of November 1842. The initial offering was for 10,000 acres at $10.50 per acre. Delays in the purchase were inevitable, and problems with translating official documents tainted the process. Attorney Thomas Ogden of New York City was the corporate counsel for the Holland Land Company, which owned a three million-acre tract of land in western New York.
Some of this land was purchased by Tomas and his brother David, who formed the Ogden Land Company. This firm purchased and facilitated the transfer of Native American land to white settlers. Contractual setbacks, legal limitations, and postponements frustrated Metz and his companions. After several weeks of negotiations and delays, some involving third-party advisors, the Inspirationists purchased 5000 acres at $10.00 per acre.[14] Metz concluded that reducing the acreage and lowering the price would facilitate a more straightforward transaction.
During the intervening months since their arrival in America, several other Inspirationists traveled to Buffalo. On May 1, 1843, the four New World Inspirationists left Mansion House for their new property and resided in the former home of Chief John Seneca.
The New Colony
Construction of new housing began quickly and was done by the Inspirationists and non-member contractors. This new settlement, at the present site of Gardenville, was named Eben-Ezer, meaning “stone of help” from the Book of Samuel, chapter 7, verse 12. The name was soon abbreviated to Ebenezer. This particular place was chosen due to its proximity to Buffalo Creek, which provided water power to operate several mills. As the colony rapidly grew, it became apparent that more land and individual space was needed.
Four hamlets were established within the colony to support the settlers and their industries. Middle Ebenezer occupied the area of present day Gardenville. Upper Ebenezer, present-day Blossom, was to the east; Lower Ebenezer, just north of Gardenville in present-day West Seneca and New Ebenezer, was situated between Middle Ebenezer and Upper Ebenezer on Cazenovia Creek.[15]
As more members of the sect arrived, housing construction increased. The land was cleared, timber milled, wells dug, and small farm plots started. However, the local Indian population viewed this as infringing their land rights. Many Native Americans still lived within the settlement, and arguments arose over the use of land and timber. The Germans were confused about the nature of this hostility, believing the land was theirs; however, their colony was settled on reservation land.
The local tribes wanted the Germans to leave the reservation and pay restitution for the use of the land and the lumber they took. The tribes petitioned the Federal government, and negotiations began with the local Indian Agent and the Secretary of War. Settlement negotiations were protracted and often tense, filled with misunderstandings and ignorance of the law over property rights and land use.
On August 1, 1844, the Federal government ruled in favor of the German settlers at the Ebenezer Colony, advising the Seneca Indians that they no longer retained ownership of the land and forest rights. Any intrusion by the Seneca onto the land would be deemed trespassing. Unfortunately, vandalism and destruction of the forest began, and several Senecas were arrested.
The Ebenezer community did not want any further trouble with the Senecas and were sympathetic to their plight as they, too, had been persecuted in Germany. The Seneca Nation convened a meeting with the Ebenezer group to find a joint amicable remedy. The Inspirationists believed that they had been deceived by the land agent over the purchase of the land and what was theirs. Yet, they still considered their position strong as they had legally purchased the land. With some reluctance, the Senecas reached a settlement with the Germans. The Native Americans would relocate to their nearby reservations in southwestern New York at Allegany and Cattaraugus counties. Some would receive compensation for their land claims. It was an agreement that did not please all, but it did end the conflict. By late 1846, the last of the Senecas left the Ebenezer colony and the German settlers came into full possession of the land.[16] Now, the community could prosper and grow without impediments.
The Ebenezer Community
From 1843 to 1846, over 800 Inspirationists arrived at the colony from Germany. This diverse group included young and old, wealthy and poor, skilled and unskilled workers.
The wealthier members were initially called upon to contribute funds and finance various operations. Land would be held in common for two years. This plan was based on conditions in the Old World, where wealth and property acquisition was difficult. This experiment failed at the colony. The economic conditions for attaining wealth and property were readily available in America. Demands for skilled and unskilled laborers in America meant abundant jobs, and a worker and his family fared better in the New World than in Germany.
The challenge for the Community was to maintain a cohesive group that desired to live within the confines of Ebenezer and not be swayed by the “temptations” of the New World. To achieve this, the elders, in January 1846, crafted the Constitution of the Community of True Inspiration at Ebenezer. The document identified this society as a faith based group founded on the Scriptures who “pledged to render obedience to their faith in all respects, to fight for it, to endure and suffer and struggle to preserve in it to the end of life.”[17] All deacons and elders were to live a life of grace with the spiritual and temporal welfare of the community as their primary concern. Community members were to “live likewise” and recognize the deacons and elders as their spiritual teachers and pastors. All authority, both spiritual and administrative, was vested in the elders.
The Ebenezer community exhibited the qualities of a communistic society and was the first such organized assemblage in western New York. Land, livestock, buildings, and machinery were held in common, and each member “was to bear his burden according to his ability for the common good of the community.” Under the terms of their Constitution, all received an annual fixed wage from the treasury, as established by the elders, and the guarantee of medical care, daily food, and shelter.[18] Incidentals such as tools, clothing, shoes, furniture, and bedding were to be purchased separately and considered the individual property of that member.
This lifestyle achieved positive results for the community and the majority thrived under this arrangement. Success and sacrifice, both spiritual and physical, were a shared experience. However, not all enthusiastically embraced it. Wealthier members lost control of their affluence, and poorer community members realized they could achieve a better and freer life outside the Ebenezer community. Many left but the society did not document the numbers of those who moved away.
Life in the Colony
The four residential communities of the Ebenezer colony occupied approximately 8,000 acres, and the members resided in villages instead of scattered farmhouses. This settlement arrangement was due more to the elders' supervision and control over the Inspirationists than would have been possible if they lived in scattered homesteads.[19] The appeal of American self-determination was often regarded as a tacit threat to the communal routine.
The elders assigned families to housing within the colony. There was no standardization of home designs. Some buildings were two stories, but most were one level or a story and a half, and the number of bedrooms varied. Homes were either timber frame or brick construction. The homes did not have a kitchen or dining room, as cooking and eating were communal events. Home furnishings were purchased by each family. Wood for heating the house was supplied by the community. Single men resided in a “brother's house.” This was a large home with individual apartments consisting of a bedroom and sitting room.
The location of a member’s residence was based on their employment. Farmers and agriculture workers were housed on the outskirts of the community. Cabinet makers, harness makers, butchers, craftsmen, and laborers resided adjacent to their work site. Bakers, cooks, and cleaners lived near the communal kitchens. Schoolmasters and some teachers lived above the classroom.[20]
The Inspirationists did not favor large gatherings. Consequently, shared meals were eaten at the kitchen-house. These houses were situated throughout the four communities and of an appropriate size to accommodate the moderate number who gathered for daily sustenance. While the food was simple fare, there was always an abundance. Men, women, and children sat in separate areas, and conversation at the table was discouraged. A prayer service followed each meal.
Education was a priority for the Ebenezer community. The German states in the 19th century had a prestigious tradition of educating boys and girls and ensuring that teachers were highly qualified.[21] This practice followed the Inspirationists to the New World. Boys and girls studied together in the classroom. The school day was long, enabling the parents to work without worrying about their children at home. Classes were conducted six days a week and year-round. The only exceptions were for religious holy days and to help with the harvest.
The Ebenezer community was required to abide by the educational requirements of New York State. However, the colony, as the Incorporated Village of Ebenezer, had full control over the curriculum, allowing religious instruction. Students were taught their catechism, Bible history, and stories about the heroes of the True Inspirationists faith. Additionally, boys and girls were taught practical skills such as knitting, as many made their own socks and small articles of clothing. Older boys learned a trade and worked as apprentices at the colony’s various craft shops. Girls were taught cooking, baking, spinning, and sewing.[22] German was the main language spoken here, but business transactions with the “outside” required a command of English; subsequently, students were taught basic English.
While bachelors lived in segregated housing, single women lived with their parents until married. Marriages had to be approved by the elders. A one-year courtship was required, and then a simple ceremony was performed. Men under the age of 24 were not permitted to marry, but there was no similar prohibition on women. Divorce was not accepted, nor was a second marriage to a widow or widower.
Farming and Commerce
The Inspirationists, while grounded in their faith, were sustained by commerce and agriculture, selling produce and manufactured products to support the community financially. Each of the four Ebenezer communities had a farm division supervised by a farm manager; the colony had 2200 acres under cultivation. Various industries, craft shops, and businesses were operated by the workers. Assorted occupations of the members were listed as farmers, merchants, butchers, shoemakers, copper, millers, tanners, potters, bookbinders, carpenters, dyers, wagon makers, tailors, locksmiths, saw millers, laborers, and other livelihoods.[23]
The New Ebenezer hamlet, the smallest of the four, had no farm. However, it contained 9 houses: a small dry goods store, a carpenter shop, a barn and stable, and a dye house. Its location on Buffalo Creek was an ideal source of water power for the woolen mill. Upper Ebenezer had a church, schoolhouse, general store, meat house, and bakery. Farming was conducted here with assorted barns and stables on the land. Industries employed tinsmiths, blacksmiths, carpenters, cabinet makers, and shoemakers. A grist mill and saw mill utilized the power of the Buffalo Creek surrounded by lumber resources.
Middle Ebenezer was the largest of the villages within the colony. It held the largest population of the colony, with 57 houses, a church, a schoolhouse, and a general store. Multiple businesses functioned here: a sawmill and a wool mill with looms and spinning machines. Skilled and unskilled laborers worked as carpenters, locksmiths, potters, blacksmiths, bakers, wagon makers, furniture manufacturing, boot and shoemakers, a book bindery and print shop, clock and watchmakers, and candle makers. A cider mill and brewery were also located in the village. The farm division managed a large piggery, a dozen barns, stables, drying sheds, and granaries. Slaughterhouses, meat markets, and produce storage sheds were part of the agricultural division.
Lower Ebenezer was the community's spiritual center, as the largest church was located there. Like the other villages, it contained housing and craft shops for the residents. As the colony's population grew, more schools were located here.
Religion
The singular purpose of the Ebenezer community was religion. The daily activities of agriculture, work, and education provided the inhabitants with the necessary means to live apart from “the world” and concentrate on living out their religious beliefs. The community observed four core rites: baptism, confirmation, marriage, and burial, officiated by an elder.
Those beliefs were focused on the Old and New Testaments and the revelations of prophecy. Following that were the 24 rules for living a Godly life.[24] Some of those precepts included obedience to God and the elders, praying, living a humble existence, hard work, and charity to all. Additionally, the community followed the “Twenty-One Rules for the Daily Examination of Our Lives.” This comprised more of a code of conduct for matters unrelated to the faith or religion.[25]
The leadership of the faithful was comprised of the prophets and elders. The prophets were regarded as the head of the church. Usually, this comprised only two to four individuals. At times, accusations were made of false prophets within the community, but there is no written record of who they were, why the allegations were made, and the results of such assertions. However, there was some indication of jealousy at the root of these claims. Next were the elders who held various occupations within the colony. They were viewed as the spiritual fathers of the communities and pastors of each individual church. They conducted religious services and officiated at the ceremonial rites.
The congregation was divided into three spiritual groups or “orders.” Membership was based on levels of piety. The “high order” was the first, then the middle group and the third was the lowest, mostly children. In this third order men and women and boys and girls were segregated. Each order held separate services simultaneously, which excluded the others. A yearly spiritual examination of the members was conducted, usually in late December. During this scrutiny all members of each order were subjected to an intensive examination to determine their spiritual condition and placement into an order. Elders examined elders, and lay members evaluated each other. However, a person could be removed from a group based on their conduct.[26]
The meetinghouse was a plain structure devoid of any signs or symbols of the Christian faith. This white-washed building contained no pulpit or stained glass windows. The interior was divided into three separate rooms for each order. Members entered in silence. The presiding elder sat at a table flanked by a row of elders facing the congregation. Men and women sat across from each other on long benches, each person carrying their Bible.
Religious services were held daily, and attendance was mandatory. Morning services were conducted on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with an afternoon service as well. Prayer services were conducted every evening, and extra services were held on special or holy days of the year. Each service began with a silent prayer followed by a hymn announced by the presiding elder. No musical instruments were to accompany the singing, and the tunes were analogous to traditional Lutheran hymns blended with Georgian chant. The melodies were described as melancholy.[27]
Following the hymn was a long prayer recited by the elders while the congregants knelt on the hardwood floors. After that a passage from the Bible was read with the men and then the women reading each verse. There was no formal sermon, but each elder provided a lesson for the congregation. The intention of the service was for each member to receive a message of inspiration from the Bible or the lessons or directly from God. A concluding prayer and hymn ended the lengthy service with the members silently leaving.
The Move
By the early 1850s external pressures and conditions began encroaching upon the colony. The city of Buffalo was expanding into their area, bringing with it worldly distractions. Newly arrived immigrants from Germany were more attracted to well-paying jobs than developing their spiritual life. These settlers enjoyed comfort, entertainment, money, and individuality rather than a communal religious lifestyle.
Tensions percolated within the Community of True Inspiration. Envy and resentment among members and elders threatened to tear at the core of their faith. Some members were expelled or left voluntarily for better opportunities. Allegations that some community members were becoming wealthy or not abiding by the rules brought charges and counter-charges, creating an unholy environment.
Water power for the mills along Buffalo Creek and an adjoining canal diminished due to erosion. Farm production was reduced due to flooding. A railroad was proposed that, when completed, would divide Lower Ebenezer from Middle Ebenezer. The local legislative authorities viewed the Community’s property as a prime site for the expansion of industry and agriculture and desired to take more control of the area. It was apparent to the elders that survival of the community, both spiritual and material, necessitated a move.
The Community decided that a larger parcel of land was required to continue their mission. Commanded by “inspiration,” it was decided that this could be acquired somewhere in the western part of the nation. In September 1854, four members: Christian Metz, Carl Winzenried, Ferdinand Weber, son of George Weber, an original settler at Ebenezer, and Charles Mayer left western New York to find the Community’s new “promised land.” The four traveled first to Chicago, then St. Louis, and navigated the Missouri River to Parkville near Kansas City. They journeyed through the Kansas prairie in wagons and on foot with Native American guides, seeking their new home.[28] The four could not locate adequate tracts of land to suit the Community’s needs. Additionally, political tensions were raging in the territory over statehood and slavery, which disturbed the group. As a result, the men returned home.
Later that year, John Beyer and Jacob Wittmer scouted land in the newly recognized state of Iowa. They reported that a favorable site was located twenty miles west of Iowa City near a river. In May 1855, they, along with Frederick Heinemann and Carl Winzenreid, examined the flat land in Iowa and, finding it suitable to the Community’s needs, purchased the tract.
The society generally agreed to the move, but some remained in western New York. The historical record does not list names or reasons why they did not go west. In early July 1855, ten years after the colony was founded, the Community of True Inspiration started moving to their new land along the Iowa River. This new settlement was named Amana, a Biblical reference from the Song of Solomon Chapter 4, Verse 8, meaning “to remain faithful.”[29] The move, by wagon and steamboat, took almost six years to complete. These colonists took all they could, including the wares of their trades and livestock, to start their new lives. The properties were placed on the market and the eight thousand acres of Eben-Ezer eventually sold. With the start of the Civil War, the houses and lands that remained of the community were either abandoned or absorbed into the local governmental districts.
In Iowa, the Amana Society thrived and replicated much of what it started in western New York, establishing several colonies within the community and following the same pattern of life, education, commerce, and religious practice. The Amana Society flourished until the Great Depression of the 1930s. At this juncture, the “Great Change” occurred as the Society split into two distinct organizations. One of which later evolved into the manufacturer of refrigeration units: the Amana Corporation.[30]
Germans fled the Old World to the New World, seeking religious freedom and the self-determination to live as they wished. This vision was first realized in western New York but as the world encroached a move to Iowa was necessitated. The communal lifestyle of the Community of True Inspiration came at a time when the words of Karl Marx started to echo in Europe. While this Society likely would denounce Marx’s ideal of a godless shared community life, the group at Ebenezer was, in reality, one of the first communist groups in America. The difference was that the Ebenezer community’s raison d’être was to glorify God through their lives and work. This success was achieved in western New York.
About the author: Paul Lubienecki obtained his M.A. in Pastoral Ministry from Christ the King Seminary, an M.A. in History from Buffalo State College, and his Ph.D. in History from Case Western Reserve University. His research work examined how Buffalo native Msgr. John Boland established labor schools for workers to assist them in integrating the fundamentals of the social encyclicals in the workplace. Dr. Lubienecki has lectured and published multiple journal articles on Catholic labor schools. He recently published The Americanization of Lay Catholics on Organized Labor by Mellen Press.
Dr. Lubienecki has taught courses in American history, theology, spirituality and museum studies and is a contributing editor to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. He has been a Special Studies Instructor at the Chautauqua Institution and is the founding director of the Boland Center for the Study of Labor and Religion, where he teaches, publishes, and lectures on the integration of history at the intersection of religion and the labor movement. He is also engaged in union-organizing activities of service workers in the Buffalo area.
Bibliography
[i] Stefan von Senger in Emigration and Settlement Patters of German Communities in North America, (Indianapolis, Indiana University Press, 1995), 148.
[ii] E. Clifford Nelson, The Lutherans in North America, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1975), 132.
[iii] Charles Nordhoff, The Communistic societies of the United States, (New York: Dover Publications, 1966), 25.
[iv] Thomas Streissguth, Utopian Visionaries,(Minneapolis: The Oliver Press, Inc., 1999), 67.
[v] Frank J. Lankes, The Ebenezer Society, (West Seneca: West Seneca Historical Society, 1963), 9.
[vi] Bertha Shambaugh, Amana: The Community of True Inspiration, (Des Moines: State Historical Society of Iowa, 1988), 329
[vii] Ibid., 57.
[viii] Lankes, 13.
[ix]Alan DuVal. Christian Metz: German-American Religious Leader & Pioneer. Ed. Peter Hoehnle. (Iowa City: Penfield Books, 2005), 21.
[x] Streissguth, 68.
[xi] David Ellis, James Frost, Harry Carman, A History of New York State, (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1967), 307.
[xii]Frederick Houghton, The History of the Buffalo Creek Reservation, (Buffalo: Publications of the Buffalo Historical Society. Vol. 24. 1920), 110.
[xiii] Nordhoff, The Communistic societies of the United States, 28.
[xiv] Lankes, 24.
[xv] Lankes, 35.
[xvi] Houghton, 121.
[xvii] Constitution of the Ebenezer Community. Elisha Blakeman recollections found in “A Brief Account of the Society of Germans Called the True Inspirationists,” (undated) Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio.
[xviii]Shambaugh, Amana, The Community of True Inspiration, 45.
[xix] Lankes, 61.
[xx] Lankes, 88.
[xxi] Karl A. Schleunes, "Enlightenment, reform, reaction: the schooling revolution in Prussia." Central European History 12.4 (1979), 322.
[xxii] Lankes, 90.
[xxiii] Lankes, 96.
[xxiv] Lankes, 41.
[xxv] Shambaugh, 277.
[xxvi] Shambaugh, 313.
[xxvii] Lankes, 44.
[xxviii] Lankes, 121.
[xxix] Nordhoff, The Communistic societies of the United State, 31.
[xxx] David Hudson, Marvin Bergman; Loren Horton, eds., The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa. (Iowa City, IA: University Of Iowa Press, 2009), 169.[1] Stefan von Senger in Emigration and Settlement Patters of German Communities in North America, (Indianapolis, Indiana University Press, 1995), 148.
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