Metz, Christian (1794–1867)

Prussian-born US religious reformer. A carpenter by trade, he participated in a religious revival in 1817 and became the leader of a group of German mystic-pietists known as Inspirationists. In 1842 he led some 800 followers to the USA and purchased 5,000 acres of land near Buffalo, New York. They moved west in 1854 and bought 18,000 acres in Iowa, which became incorporated as the Amana Church Society in 1859. He wrote voluminously and impressed many people with his patience, tolerance, and administrative skills. Metz was born in Neuwied, Prussia.

The Amana Society eventually spread to seven adjacent villages, all run under a system of communal property, labour and activities – originally agricultural but gradually expanding into manufacturing. It is often regarded as the most successful of the utopian-communist experiments in the USA. 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.