The Amana folks were fairly self-sufficient when they arrived in Iowa in the mid-1800s. They performed all the traditional crafts in each village - Crafts such as wood-working, rug-weaving, quilting, blacksmithing, and tinsmithing, among others. They also made brooms. Today the broom-maker still makes brooms at the Broom and Basket Shop in West Amana. Amana … Continue reading "Broom Making in the Amana Colonies"