The Amish smoke alarm issue has been ongoing for a number of years in New York state. David Belton, who made the PBS Amish documentary, has written an article on the topic for BBC. Swartzentruber Amish in northern New York have violated building codes by not installing smoke alarms in their homes, leading to fines [...]
Continue reading Amish, smoke alarms, and eternity
There’s another possible out for Swartzentruber Amish in Kentucky who refuse the SMV triangle–a change in state law. The Bowling Green Daily News reported Saturday that members of the Kentucky General Assembly were considering a change in regulations covering the SMV insignia. The trials of 5 Amishmen in Logan County, set for Friday, were accordingly [...]
Continue reading KY legislators to the rescue of Swartzentruber Amish?
Karen Johnson-Weiner shares a photo of homemade Amish soap, the work of a Swartzentruber Amish woman. It’s interesting to see the range of home amenities used by Amish. When it comes to cleaning products, you get families who buy fine hand lotions from places like Wal-Mart to those who still make their own soaps. Here’s [...]
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The big story last week was the imprisonment of 8 Kentucky Amishmen for not displaying the Slow Moving Vehicle triangle on their buggies. Back in June we covered this issue with a lot of discussion on the implications of the case. It’s an issue of freedom and safety, similar in a sense to controversies over [...]
Continue reading Amish mug shots
Mention “Ohio Amish”, and most people think of the large settlement at Holmes County, or perhaps Geauga County to its north. But just a short ways down the road from the large Holmes settlement lies an often-overlooked but sizeable Amish community. Amish have lived in Ashland and neighboring Medina County for nearly sixty years. Ashland [...]
Continue reading The Amish of Ashland and Medina County, Ohio
Over the past few weeks we’ve tried to show the diverse interiors of Amish homes, from the plainer to the more progressive. I hope you enjoy this shot today from a more conservative Swartzentruber Amish home: What do you spy on that dresser? Hanging around: Special thanks to Karen Johnson-Weiner (author of New York Amish: [...]
Continue reading Inside an Amish home: Three rockers
Following up last week’s photo of a Michigan Amish kitchen, we have another shot courtesy of Karen Johnson-Weiner. I think you’ll notice quite a difference between this week’s and last week’s photos. This one was taken in a Swartzentruber Amish kitchen. Swartzentruber Amish are among the plainest and most conservative Amish groups: I’ve zoomed in [...]
Continue reading Inside an Amish Home: Swartzentruber Amish Kitchen
How active are Amish in mission work? As touched on in “So you want to join the Amish“, Amish have traditionally looked more inward than outward, focusing spiritual energies on their own rather than seeking converts. There has been historical interest in mission work within the Amish however. The New Order Amish movement grew, in [...]
Continue reading Amish mission work–creating “mission fields” at home?
The Deep South is home to only one Amish settlement today, located near Randolph in Pontotoc County, Mississippi. The Randolph Amish settlement is a conservative Swartzentruber community, marked by highly limited technology and a very plain lifestyle. Historically, Amish have only occasionally settled in the Deep South region. This would include a few other communities [...]
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