1003 26th Ave Middle Amana, IA
Built in 1863, the “Rüdy Küche” (Ruedy Kitchen) is the only intact communal kitchen remaining in the Amanas. During the communal era, families did not cook for themselves. Instead, elders assigned them to eat in one of the village kitchens. Each kitchen served 40-50 people. The Ruedy family preserved the kitchen as it appeared in 1932 when it served community members for the last time and opened it as a museum in the 1950s. Visitors can see the kitchen with the large brick hearth, the dry sink with its wooden tubs, and the original implements used to prepare meals. In the dining room, tables are set for a communal meal. AHS leased the kitchen from the Ruedy Family from 1983 to 2018. Then, AHS purchased the entire property with plans to open all buildings to visitors. Since 2019, staff members have been hard at work cleaning, cataloging artifacts, and preparing the space for exhibits. Our goal is to open the entire property in Summer 2022. Thank you to our museum supporters and granting agencies to make this project happen! This project is supported in part by the State Historical Society of Iowa, Historical Resource Development Program.
The Cooper Shop was built c. 1863. On exhibit are tools and products of the cooper’s (barrelmaker’s) trade.
Check the event calendar for dinners served in the communal kitchen.
