Metz, Christian

Metz, Christian: see Amana Church Society.

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Metz, Christian (1794–1867) religious reformer; born in Neuwied, Prussia. A carpenter by trade, he participated in a religious revival (1817) and became the leader of a group of German mystic-pietists known as Inspirationists. In 1842 he led some 800 followers to America and purchased 5,000 acres near Buffalo, N.Y. They moved west (1854) and bought 18,000 acres in Iowa, which became incorporated as the Amana Church Society (1859). He wrote voluminously and impressed many people with his patience, tolerance, and administrative skills. The Amana Society eventually spread to seven adjacent villages, all run under a system of communal property, labor and activities—originally agricultural but gradually expanding into manufacturing. It is often regarded as the most successful of the utopian-communist experiments in America. In 1932, the secular affairs of the group were reorganized as a kind of joint stock corporation. The Amana brand of appliances is their best-known product.