A couple of interesting religion-based places to visit that are within driving distance of Des Moines, the capital of Iowa, are the Amana Colonies and Graceland University.
The Amana Colonies are 100 miles directly east of Des Moines. They were founded by a Christian sect known as the Community of True Inspiration (also known as "Pietists" or "Inspirationists") in 1855. The sect originated in Germany in 1714 and focused on simple worship based on Bible study. Like so many other groups of that time, religious persecution drove them to settle in America. They had established a system of communal living in 1846 in their settlement near Buffalo, New York, but wanted to escape the worldliness of New York, so they bought 26,000 acres in Iowa. They named the area "Amana," a term from the Song of Solomon that means "remain true." The group established seven villages or colonies, each with a church, school, bakery, and blacksmith shop. Fabric factories made money for the colonies. The communal system ended in 1932 when the communities voted to form a corporation. A few years later they developed Amana refrigeration, their most widely known business enterprise. We've owned one of their fridges. Hasn't everyone?
Today the colonies are a popular tourist destination. We spent some time walking around the main village, known simply as Amana (the others are East Amana, High Amana, Middle Amana, South Amana, West Amana, and Homestead), and I enjoyed the old architecture, but I was disappointed that we didn't find more unique local crafts.
