Lately I’ve been sharing about the seven communities visited on my recent East Coast Amish trip. We’ll have detailed posts upcoming on a few more of them. In the meantime I thought I’d share a bit more on one of the most obvious visual markers of Amish–the buggy. As you probably know, buggy styles can [...]
Continue reading 5 Amish buggy styles
I just got back, late Saturday, from a great trip visiting friends in Lancaster County and elsewhere. I’ve got a lot to share in upcoming posts. But for now, a little summary. Here are 12 key numbers from last week’s travels to Amish communities in PA, DE, VA, and MD: 7-number of settlements visited. In [...]
Continue reading A visit to the Amish, in 12 key numbers
I’m probably somewhere in Lancaster County right now. Will be back online in a couple days. In the meantime I thought you might enjoy this photo I came across. I tried to think of a caption to go with this but came up blank. All I know is that this is from a New York [...]
Continue reading Not something you see every day…
After regretting (on the original buggy sign post) that we had no Allen County, Indiana sign, reader Torey has kindly shared this photo, taken near the town of Grabill. You may be aware that Amish in Allen County are considered “Swiss Amish”. Swiss Amish differ in a few ways from most other Amish (most Amish [...]
Continue reading Buggy signs, part 2
The familiar yellow buggy warning sign shouts “Amish ahead!” But there is no standardized design. So the signs you see can vary. Below, a few of the various Amish buggy warning signs you’ll find across America. From Dauphin County, near Elizabethville, Pennsylvania. Dauphin County is home to a sizeable Lancaster Amish daughter settlement. Taken near [...]
Continue reading Buggy signs across America
Thanks to Mary for sharing the above photo of County Road 77 in Holmes County, Ohio. You might recall CR-77 mentioned in the comments section of the Amish buggy safety post of a couple weeks ago. Hurst and McConnell remind us that CR-77 is known locally as the “Amish roller coaster”, for its series of rolling [...]
Continue reading Holmes County Road 77
29-year-old Eli Borntrager was killed on the road last year in Missouri. Borntrager’s buggy was rear-ended by a driver traveling at 70 mph. The Amish buggy is not the safest form of transport. For many reasons. Buggies can be difficult to see. Horses can spook. With their long bodies and front-set position, horses create [...]
Continue reading Buggies off the road?
You may have heard the term “Swiss Amish” used to describe certain Amish groups. The term “Swiss” refers to a separate ethnicity within Old Order society, in contrast to Pennsylvania German-ethnicity Amish (the majority of Amish today). Swiss Amish have specific customs and cultural markers. I first encountered Swiss Amish in the Allen County, Indiana [...]
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My Amish friend Aaron recently informed me of a curious entry into the Red Bull Flugtag contest. But first, Aaron had to explain what Flugtag actually is. Flugtag is a “flight” competition the Austrian energy drink* maker puts on each year. Teams ride homemade contraptions down a 30-foot high ramp, jumping and soaring into water [...]
Continue reading Do Amish have wings?
Indiana is the only state that requires license plates on Amish buggies, though it varies by county. From a lecture on the Amish by Goshen College professor Steven Nolt; photo by Cindy Seigle. Read more on Indiana Amish.
Continue reading License plates on Amish buggies?
