The ten largest Amish settlements, by number of church districts, as of 2009: 10. Allen County, Indiana (Founded 1852; 19 church districts). This Amish settlement located to the north of Fort Wayne is a Swiss-ethnicity community. Open buggies are driven here; the construction trade is popular. Allen County Amish homes are often built of red brick, unlike those of most other Amish. The three most…
Most Amish homes have a sizable basement. The basement is an important part of the typical Amish home for a number of reasons. The basement of course makes a good storage area.  Amish families often keep their stores of canned goods in the basement. The basement also offers living space. Amish in warmer climes may ‘move’ downstairs to the basement in summertime, eating meals and…
Success Made Simple is the first practical business guide based on Amish ideas. 9,000 Amish businesses thrive throughout North America. This book examines why, and what lessons they can offer modern business owners. It reads a bit like this blog does, chock full of anecdotes, stories, and 16 sidebars covering everything from the ‘Amish miracle heater’ to why you’ll find 47 David Yoders in one…
Ohio Amish bishop David Kline is an interesting person. I’ve known David for a couple of years and fondly recall my last visit to his Ohio farm, and specifically some warm muffins and warmer companionship at the kitchen table. David is also unusual as an Amish person in that he is a twice-published author. David’s descriptions of wildlife, farming, and rural living in Great Possessions…
Lined up in a bicycle rack in front of a barn at an Amish farm is a row of scooters in various sizes and colors–red, blue, and green. Around four o’clock in the afternoon, Simon Bontrager went looking for his five-year-old son, Reuben, finding him high up in a tree house perched over a stream. Simon cupped his mouth to holler up the tree, “Hey,…
Ira Wagler grew up in Canada and Iowa Amish communities. I like to link to his posts now and again, because his writing is very good and he offers a particular insider’s insight thanks to his Amish background. In one recent post, Ira offered his interesting take on the Lancaster County Amish, and the north-south ‘divide’ in particular. An excerpt: Homes are spotless, inside and…
Since 2020, a small Amish presence has been found in New Mexico, not far from the Colorado border, at Ortiz in Santa Fe County. And as to Amish in the Land of Enchantment, there is also one interesting nugget from Amish history worth mentioning. Kevin at the Amish Cook blog points to an article about Amish and Mennonites visiting the site of an old Amish…
Where do Amish buggies come from? Most established Amish settlements have at least one full-time buggy maker, but those that don’t usually acquire their vehicles in larger settlements. Amish buggy makers rarely make a buggy from top to bottom. Parts such as the wheels or undercarriage may come from other Amish shops. One buggy shop owner acquaintance produces one new vehicle per week. Stephen Scott…
Dover, Delaware Amish buggy The Dover Amish settlement, founded in 1915, lies to the west of the city. The Dover community was settled by Pennsylvania, Kansas, Ohio, and Michigan Amish. Today Dover consists of 9 church districts. Lying near a heavily settled urban area, Dover has experienced similar land and population pressures to the Lancaster County Amish to the north. David Luthy cites the editor…
I wanted to point out a book written by Suzanne Woods Fisher called Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World, just released last month. I liked a couple of things about this book in particular. Suzanne has a real gift for writing, and my blurb on the back cover, that she “plants the reader inside Amish living rooms, barns, kitchens, and schoolhouses” I wouldn’t…