The Amish arrange themselves into compact groupings known as church districts. Each district has its own name, usually a geographically-based one–Lamoni South, Randolph, and Crab Orchard are examples of places providing names for districts, these being found in Iowa, Mississippi, and Kentucky Amish communities. Since the Amish travel by horse-and-buggy to one another’s homes for [...]
Continue reading The Amish Church District
Indiana has granted a permit for wine sales to a local hotel in Shipshewana (or just plain Ship-she), the tourist center of the northern Indiana Amish settlement. Shipshe is a historically dry town. Seems some residents are pretty upset. Some cite Amish traditions as a reason for keeping the town booze-free. We might think that [...]
Continue reading Do the Amish drink?
The crime was horrendous. But the point now is not the crime–it’s the hard issues at hand for the Amish community of Ed Gingerich–allegedly the only Amishman ever tried and convicted for the death of another human being. Gingerich killed his wife in a fit of insanity in 1993. A paranoid schizophrenic, he was convicted [...]
Continue reading An Amish killer’s attempt to return
Diversity in the Amish world is a common theme in this blog. Ever wonder how different Amish groups use technology? Judging by the chart, it can be seen that the most conservative groups include the Swartzentruber Amish, Nebraska Amish, and the Buchanan County, Iowa Amish (the three of which Amish historian Steven Nolt groups together [...]
Continue reading Amish technology and ‘friendliness’
You won’t see too many Old Order Amish in line at the Delta counter. It makes sense to forbid air travel, if one of the main reasons car ownership is off limits is to keep the community tight. Some of the more New Order Amish do allow it, even for vacations, but the only time [...]
Continue reading Amish in the sky
‘The typical English guy looks at one of us and just sees an Amish person. Actually there can be a lot of difference.’ So said a Holmes County Amishman, commenting on the diversity in his area. Compared to the Old Order Amish, the so-called New Order Amish are a curious mix–one which we might term [...]
Continue reading Amish dating, Amish smoking: ‘Old’ and ‘New’ perspectives
Amish resistance to photography is fairly well-known. But not by everyone. Or at least it’s not respected by everyone. Tourists can still be a problem, frustrating the Amish and even causing accidents. The Amish believe posing for photographs is a form of pride. Reporters dealt with the issue, some tactfully, others less so, while covering [...]
Continue reading No, I Won’t Say Cheese
