Amish America - Exploring Amish Culture and Communities

Amish Controversies

Amish Country Homeowner: Board Would’ve Pushed This Overgrown Business Off Farmland Long Ago “If It Was Amish-Owned”
ByErik Wesner October 29, 2026
1 Comment

A local resident whose home sits next to a fast-growing business in the Nappanee Amish community says officials would have forced the company off farmland years ago – “if [the business] was Amish-owned.” The business in question is called PWI, which builds custom cranes, mezzanines, and other manufacturing support products. Over the years they have experienced a lot of success and corresponding growth. Now, they…

Read More Amish Country Homeowner: Board Would’ve Pushed This Overgrown Business Off Farmland Long Ago “If It Was Amish-Owned”
Amish Life

What An Amish Wedding Looks Like Inside & Out (20 Photos)
ByErik Wesner October 28, 2026
7 Comments

Nora Kurtz is a member of an Old Order Amish church in Geauga County, Ohio, and Director of Operations at the Geauga Amish History Center. She previously shared some favorite dishes from her community. Today she returns with a closer look at what happens at Amish weddings. Weddings across Amish communities share a similar structure but can vary in smaller details unique to each community….

Read More What An Amish Wedding Looks Like Inside & Out (20 Photos)
Amish History

Descendant Tracks Down Lost Ohio Amish Cemetery — Using An 1819 Deed Signed By James Monroe
ByErik Wesner October 25, 2026
2 Comments

After a three-year search, a descendant has located a roughly 200-year-old Amish cemetery in Holmes County, Ohio, where her fourth-great-grandparents are buried — and it was right where a 1975 directory said it would be. As reported in the Bargain Hunter, a woman named Linda Schrock Schneider managed to find the burial ground of Holmes County pioneers Jacob and Anna Shrock in a stand of…

Read More Descendant Tracks Down Lost Ohio Amish Cemetery — Using An 1819 Deed Signed By James Monroe
The Amish & Crime

Man Allegedly Drove 80 Miles To Kidnap An Amish Woman — And Now DHS Says He’s In The Country Illegally
ByErik Wesner October 25, 2026
4 Comments

Federal immigration officials have placed a hold on the New Jersey man accused of trying to kidnap an Amish woman in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania earlier this month. And the Department of Homeland Security says he is in the country illegally. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer on Junior Davila-Moran, 26, of Hamilton Township, New Jersey on October 19, according to WGAL. Davila-Moran is suspected…

Read More Man Allegedly Drove 80 Miles To Kidnap An Amish Woman — And Now DHS Says He’s In The Country Illegally
Amish Controversies

Amish Buggies Lose Their Shortcut Into Ohio Town Over Horse Manure & Safety Concerns
ByErik Wesner October 24, 2026
2 Comments

Amish buggies in Barnesville, Ohio can no longer use the village’s historic B&O Railroad tunnel as a shortcut into town. Signs now prohibit horses there, following complaints about manure, as well as safety concerns. This is a community of over 400 Amish people in Belmont County in eastern Ohio, a couple counties southeast of the Holmes County settlement. The tunnel is now part of Barnesville’s…

Read More Amish Buggies Lose Their Shortcut Into Ohio Town Over Horse Manure & Safety Concerns
Feel Good

Amish Crews Are Heading South To Rebuild Helene-Damaged Homes For 5 Months — And They Need Drivers
ByErik Wesner October 20, 2026
2 Comments

We’ve heard a lot about Amish disaster relief in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene, which, time flies, happened over two years ago now (September 2024). Amish crews from the Midwest and Pennsylvania have given their time and effort to help rebuild in NC mountain towns like Chimney Rock and Bat Cave. As one female Amish volunteer said at the time, “Our heart just felt drawn…

Read More Amish Crews Are Heading South To Rebuild Helene-Damaged Homes For 5 Months — And They Need Drivers
Amish Communities

An “Amish Cabela’s,” Yoder’s Sausage Kitchen, & A Long-Debated Amish Community Center: What’s New In Jamesport, Missouri
ByDon Burke October 20, 2026
2 Comments

Don Burke is back with a look at an old favorite – Jamesport, Missouri – and what’s new in the community since his last visit. The Jamesport area is home to one of the state’s larger and best-known Amish settlements. Helping him out again is Laura Graber, who grew up Amish in the community, and even taught in an Amish school for four years. Don…

Read More An “Amish Cabela’s,” Yoder’s Sausage Kitchen, & A Long-Debated Amish Community Center: What’s New In Jamesport, Missouri
The Amish & Crime

Amish Woman Used A Weed Whacker To Scare Off Man With Knife & Handcuffs In Attempted Kidnapping
ByErik Wesner October 16, 2026
5 Comments

We now know more about what the person who (allegedly) attempted to kidnap a 23-year-old Amish woman Wednesday did. Learning the details, this had to be a very frightening experience. And the woman’s response may have saved her a lot of trauma and pain, and even her life. It turns out she used a weed whacker to scare off a man carrying a knife and…

Read More Amish Woman Used A Weed Whacker To Scare Off Man With Knife & Handcuffs In Attempted Kidnapping
The Amish & Crime

Amish Woman Targeted In Attempted Abduction In Lancaster County — Police Seek Gray Pickup
ByErik Wesner October 15, 2026October 16, 2026
1 Comment

A truly disturbing incident happened yesterday in the Lancaster County Amish community, and police are asking for the public’s help. An Amish woman was targeted in an attempted abduction on Wednesday, October 14, along Creek Road southwest of Atglen, Pennsylvania, in Sadsbury Township in Lancaster County. Police are now asking for help finding a gray pickup truck. This is especially disturbing given that this is…

Read More Amish Woman Targeted In Attempted Abduction In Lancaster County — Police Seek Gray Pickup
Amish Homes

This Amish Home In Canada Has A Satellite Dish & Light Switches — But No Bathroom (24 Photos)
ByErik Wesner October 14, 2026
4 Comments

For this latest Amish home we look north of the border – at just the second Canadian Amish home we’ve seen here. The first was a very plain home in the Lucknow, Ontario community back in 2022. This one is in Centre Hastings, about five minutes from the village of Stirling in eastern Ontario. The home is on a roughly 67-acre property, with about 25…

Read More This Amish Home In Canada Has A Satellite Dish & Light Switches — But No Bathroom (24 Photos)
Amish Controversies

Amish in Maryland Are Getting $16,000 Tax Bills — When They Owe $400
ByErik Wesner October 14, 2026
8 Comments

Plain People in Maryland are getting stopped in their tracks by a tech roadblock when trying to pay their taxes. And it’s causing them some real headaches – and expense. Amish and Mennonite families in St. Mary’s County, Maryland are receiving estimated state tax bills as high as $16,000 when they owe around $400 — the result of the state’s move to online-only tax filing,…

Read More Amish in Maryland Are Getting $16,000 Tax Bills — When They Owe $400
Buggy Accidents

One Amish Woman Still In Intensive Care, Another Lost Her Baby After Deadly Buggy Crash — Now Neighbors Want Changes
ByErik Wesner October 13, 2026

A month after a pickup truck struck an Amish buggy outside Canton, New York, killing a grandmother and her young grandson, one woman from the buggy is still in intensive care, and tragically, there has been a third fatal victim – a pregnant woman has lost her baby. The information on these women comes from a neighbor, who spoke to St. Lawrence County lawmakers at…

Read More One Amish Woman Still In Intensive Care, Another Lost Her Baby After Deadly Buggy Crash — Now Neighbors Want Changes
Amish Culture

New From Ben & Rose: “Will You Travel Down This Road With Me?”
ByErik Wesner October 10, 2026
1 Comment

Ben & Rose have their latest new song out, a cover of “Will You Travel Down This Road With Me?” We’ve been getting a nice steady stream of about one new song per month. At this pace they are basically putting out a new album’s worth every year (which makes me wonder if another is in the works?) This is their first studio release since…

Read More New From Ben & Rose: “Will You Travel Down This Road With Me?”
Buggy Accidents

Amish Woman, 22, Killed In Afternoon Buggy Wreck; Police Say Driver Was Asleep At The Wheel (Michigan)
ByErik Wesner October 9, 2026

Days after a wreck left two Amish women in critical condition in southern Michigan, another Amish woman is the victim in a buggy crash in the state. But this time it was a deadly incident. A 22-year-old Amish woman was killed Thursday afternoon after a vehicle struck her horse-drawn buggy in Sanilac County. Michigan State Police say the driver reportedly fell asleep at the wheel. From…

Read More Amish Woman, 22, Killed In Afternoon Buggy Wreck; Police Say Driver Was Asleep At The Wheel (Michigan)
The Amish & Crime

Amish Boy May Have To Testify Twice In Ohio Home Invasion Case — After Defendant Fires His Lawyer
ByErik Wesner October 7, 2026

It’s been nearly one year since an Amish family’s home and cabinet business in Geauga County, Ohio was invaded and robbed. In it, an Amish man was brutally assaulted, and the perpetrators attempted to kidnap his young son. In a new report following a court hearing yesterday we learn that the taxi driver accused of helping plan the crime will no longer stand trial alongside…

Read More Amish Boy May Have To Testify Twice In Ohio Home Invasion Case — After Defendant Fires His Lawyer
The Amish & Health

Amish Mothers Are “Not Against The Vaccine,” Says Midwife Seeking To Give Them Measles Shots
ByErik Wesner October 7, 2026
2 Comments

Roberta Devers, a midwife of 38 years who serves many Amish mothers in Lancaster County, wants Pennsylvania to let midwives give the measles vaccine. But that’s something state law does not currently allow. Devers made the request in an interview with 6abc Action News published yesterday. On Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced the state has passed 1,000 measles cases this year. Lancaster County…

Read More Amish Mothers Are “Not Against The Vaccine,” Says Midwife Seeking To Give Them Measles Shots
Amish Food

A Lancaster County Fire Hall Served Over 1,000 Amish Wedding Dinners In One Day
ByErik Wesner October 7, 2026
1 Comment

A Lancaster County, Pennsylvania fire station served over 1,000 Amish wedding dinners on Saturday. It was the 16th year the Intercourse Fire Company has held the fundraiser, which ran from noon until the food sold out. This was another in the long tradition of volunteer fire companies in the area, many of which have heavy Amish and Mennonite representation, funding themselves through benefit events. The…

Read More A Lancaster County Fire Hall Served Over 1,000 Amish Wedding Dinners In One Day
Amish Homes

This Mississippi Amish Farm Has 86 Acres, A Pond & Three Family Businesses (32 Photos)
ByErik Wesner October 6, 2026

This is our third look this year at an Amish property in the Randolph community of Pontotoc County, Mississippi. Back in April we toured a 54-acre homestead with a furniture shop, and in June we looked at another home on 45 acres. At that time, I asked whether the community might be disbanding, seeing so many homes go up for sale (four at the time)…

Read More This Mississippi Amish Farm Has 86 Acres, A Pond & Three Family Businesses (32 Photos)
Amish Beliefs

20 Years After The Nickel Mines Amish School Shooting, A Girl’s Parents Still Forgive “Again And Again”
ByErik Wesner October 2, 2026
1 Comment

It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since the events of October 2, 2006, when a mentally disturbed milk truck driver entered the West Nickel Mines school in Lancaster County and took five Amish girls’ lives. I happened to be on vacation at the time, and still remember how I learned about what happened – seeing the front page news complete with photo of…

Read More 20 Years After The Nickel Mines Amish School Shooting, A Girl’s Parents Still Forgive “Again And Again”
Amish LIVING

6 Amish Habits That Cut $400 a Month From Your Bills
ByErik Wesner September 29, 2026
3 Comments

If you’re like me, household bills have a way of creeping up on you. A few dollars here, a subscription there…and a year later your monthly tab has ballooned – without any big obvious things having changed. I’m always careful not to recommend “just copy what the Amish do.” There are plenty of problems with that advice, broadly speaking, and Amish communities and families can…

Read More 6 Amish Habits That Cut $400 a Month From Your Bills
Amish Communities

Illinois Is America’s #10 Amish State — Here Are Its 10 Biggest Communities
ByErik Wesner September 25, 2026

Illinois is home to America’s tenth-largest Amish population. Over 9,000 Amish live in around 20 settlements across the state, though more than six in ten of them live in just one community. These ten communities are the largest in Illinois, based on the most current Amish population estimates. Population numbers via Young Center for Anabaptist & Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College (source link at bottom)….

Read More Illinois Is America’s #10 Amish State — Here Are Its 10 Biggest Communities
Amish Homes

This Pennsylvania Amish Home Has Floors So Glossy They Shimmer (20 Photos)
ByErik Wesner September 25, 2026
1 Comment

This week’s Amish home is located in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. It’s our second look at a home in this area this year, after this eight-bedroom, one-bathroom home back in February. This one is a bit smaller, but not by much. It has six bedrooms and (once again) just one bathroom. It’s a good size and has what the listing calls “oversized” rooms. It’s 3,150 square feet on a…

Read More This Pennsylvania Amish Home Has Floors So Glossy They Shimmer (20 Photos)
Amish Life

“Old Fashion Days” Draws Big Amish Crowd In Rentown, Indiana (16 Photos)
ByErik Wesner September 22, 2026
3 Comments

Jim Halverson is back with another set of photos taking you inside a fun Amish event. These are from the recent Rentown Old Fashion Days in northern Indiana. The event brings together Amish families and others for a day of antique machinery demonstrations, food, vendors, and other old-fashioned activities. Rentown is a small Amish area between Nappanee and Bremen. The name is probably best known…

Read More “Old Fashion Days” Draws Big Amish Crowd In Rentown, Indiana (16 Photos)
Amish Culture

Lovina Eicher: Dating In My Amish Community “Not Like” How Lovina Zook Describes It
ByErik Wesner September 21, 2026
1 Comment

There are currently two quite well-known Lovinas of an Amish background. Lovina Zook grew up Swartzentruber Amish before leaving the community several years ago. She has since become a social media star for her videos sharing Amish-style cooking recipes (and I’d say for her on-screen persona maybe just as much). We had a look at her online influencer career here several weeks ago. But well…

Read More Lovina Eicher: Dating In My Amish Community “Not Like” How Lovina Zook Describes It
Amish Homes

This Tennessee Amish Home Packs A Lot Into Just 768 Square Feet (31 Photos)
ByErik Wesner September 11, 2026
7 Comments

I’ll start by saying that I love this week’s home. Now, I’m not saying I’d love to live there (let’s just say it’s “very Amish”). But as far as visual appeal of an Amish property goes, this is one of my favorites we’ve seen. Why? One reason is clear without even looking too close at the details: its vibrant color. Reds, blues, purples, set off against warm browns…

Read More This Tennessee Amish Home Packs A Lot Into Just 768 Square Feet (31 Photos)
Amish Life

The Things That Make You Stop & Look Twice At An Amish Auction (15 Photos)
ByHaley Straw September 10, 2026
9 Comments

Today we’re back with the follow-up to last week’s piece by Haley Straw, “An Amish Department Store Without Walls.” As Haley explains, you never quite know what might catch your eye at an Amish auction. By the time I’d been to the Jamesport (Missouri) Amish School Auction a few times, I had a better idea of what to expect—or at least I thought I did….

Read More The Things That Make You Stop & Look Twice At An Amish Auction (15 Photos)
Feel Good

This Amish Store Burned To The Ground In April. Just 51 Days Later, It Was Back In Business
ByErik Wesner September 8, 2026
1 Comment

The Amish-owned Rustic Ridge Variety Store burned to the ground back in April in a community in Lewis County, Missouri. While it’s hardly a surprise when an Amish community quickly gets on the job of cleaning up and rebuilding, this one seemed ahead of even a typical schedule. Less than a week later came news that the new store had already been framed and was…

Read More This Amish Store Burned To The Ground In April. Just 51 Days Later, It Was Back In Business
Mennonite & Anabaptist

After The Bible, This Is One Of The Most Important Books In Amish Homes. It’s Getting A New Translation
ByErik Wesner September 7, 2026
2 Comments

Martyrs Mirror, a massive tome telling the stories of 16th-century Anabaptist martyrs, along with earlier Christian ones, is one of the most important books in Amish homes. Now it’s getting a new translation – this time straight from the 1685 Dutch, replacing English that dates to 1886. Hat tip to Al in KY who brought this story in Anabaptist World to my attention. In it,…

Read More After The Bible, This Is One Of The Most Important Books In Amish Homes. It’s Getting A New Translation
Amish LIVING

8 Amish Parenting Habits That Raise Grounded, Hardworking Children
ByErik Wesner September 2, 2026
6 Comments

To generalize for a moment: Amish children tend to leave a positive impression. Visitors come away remarking how well-behaved they are, how respectful they are when around adults, even how they can seem older than they actually are. The explanation you often hear is strictness. There’s something to that. Amish parents use traditional forms of discipline. But that’s not the whole story. There are other…

Read More 8 Amish Parenting Habits That Raise Grounded, Hardworking Children
Amish Communities

The Amish Now Live In Mexico: 5 Takeaways From The 2026 Amish Population Numbers
ByErik Wesner August 29, 2026
7 Comments

The new Amish population figures are just out from the Young Center, and as we always do, let’s have a look at what’s new in the data. I pulled out 5 noteworthy findings from the new info which we’ll take a look at one-by-one below. But first, just to set the table: the Young Center puts this data out once per year, relying on a…

Read More The Amish Now Live In Mexico: 5 Takeaways From The 2026 Amish Population Numbers
Amish Beliefs

Study: Only 154 People Have Joined the Amish in Nearly a Century
ByErik Wesner August 22, 2026
10 Comments

It seems there’s no shortage of curiosity about joining the Amish – especially given the recent “Suddenly Amish” television program. We’ve also covered the topic fairly often over the years here. One thing has been consistently true: while joining the Amish fascinates a fair number of people, it’s simply not that common, for reasons we’ve gone into before. Those include cultural differences, misperceptions or wrong…

Read More Study: Only 154 People Have Joined the Amish in Nearly a Century
Amish Communities

A Visit To The Amish Of Prince Edward Island, Canada (16 Photos)
ByErik Wesner August 11, 2026
6 Comments

Judy Stavisky, author of In Plain View: The Daily Lives of Amish Women, shares her recent visit to an Amish community on Prince Edward Island, Canada, with us today. All photos in this post by Judy Stavisky. “Would you like to join us for a bowl of ice cream? We churned it ourselves.” A soft voice from behind a thin blue curtain invited us inside—a…

Read More A Visit To The Amish Of Prince Edward Island, Canada (16 Photos)
Amish Business

An Amish School Auction 7,500 Feet Up In Colorado (16 Photos)
ByErik Wesner August 6, 2026

So here’s something you don’t see every day – an Amish benefit auction held at over 7,500 feet, in country with vast views as far as the eye can see. Reader Alan LaFon checks in from an Amish part of America we don’t often hear too much from. These photos come from the annual La Jara Amish School Consignment Auction, held each July in Conejos…

Read More An Amish School Auction 7,500 Feet Up In Colorado (16 Photos)
Amish LIVING

7 Ways Amish Families Cut $350 a Month Off the Grocery Bill
ByErik Wesner July 31, 2026September 28, 2026
4 Comments

Grocery prices are on a lot of people’s minds lately, and for good reason. The USDA’s moderate-cost food plan has a family of four at around $1,385 a month as of this writing. Scale that up to a household of ten mouths to feed, and you’re well past $2,500. Why do I say ten? Well, that’s an average-sized Amish family – two parents and eight…

Read More 7 Ways Amish Families Cut $350 a Month Off the Grocery Bill
Amish Culture

5 Things You Should Never Say To An Amish Person (Or Should You?)
ByErik Wesner July 17, 2026
15 Comments

So I couldn’t resist commenting on this one. You may have come across slideshow-style “listicle” posts on mass media sites like MSN or AOL. I’ve been seeing a lot of them lately about the Amish (sometimes they link to this website as a source, so no complaints there). Things like “10 surprising technologies the Amish use” or “The 15 largest Amish communities”. Often enough, the…

Read More 5 Things You Should Never Say To An Amish Person (Or Should You?)
Amish Communities

The 10 Biggest Amish Communities (2026)
ByErik Wesner September 2, 2026
37 Comments

Four of them are in Indiana. Two apiece in Pennsylvania and Ohio. And one each in Illinois and Missouri. The list of the top 10 largest Amish settlements doesn’t change much from year-to-year. These communities generally have similar steady growth. And relatively few people leaving. Still, I like to do an annual update on the largest communities, with the latest figures. Update 2026: The new…

Read More The 10 Biggest Amish Communities (2026)