Given its remoteness and smaller population, we don’t get a ton of coverage on Amish in Montana. So it’s very nice that long-time reader Andrea D. shares some photos and a report from the West Kootenai Amish auction and community (this is the Rexford area settlement). Andrea writes that “I was visiting my sister in […]

Continue Reading At The West Kootenai (Montana) Amish Benefit Auction (12 Photos)

Have you ever heard anyone make a claim like “the Amish are against technology”, or that they “shun” modern conveniences? There is even the idea that Amish think technology is “evil”. I recall the video for the silly Weird Al Yankovic song, with Amish feet stomping on a pile of gadgets in one scene. These […]

Continue Reading Do Amish think technology is “evil”? (Video)

An upstate New York man used explosive Molotov cocktails to “burn down the mailboxes” of two Amish “business associates”. It’s been well-documented that Amish can be targets of vandalism and harrassment. Some cases are driven by pure dislike of the Amish, or as a sort of boredom-killing prank. This case seems to have had a […]

Continue Reading NY Man Charged With “Burning Down” Amish Mailboxes Using Molotov Cocktails

This happened Sunday in Oswego County, New York. From syracuse.com: Richland, N.Y. — A woman was killed Sunday afternoon when a pickup truck crashed into the back of an Amish buggy in Oswego County. Two people were thrown from the buggy after the carriage was rear-ended on county Route 41 in Richland, the New York […]

Continue Reading Young Amish Woman Killed, Young Man Survives NY Buggy Crash. Shadows At Fault?

“Amish Atheist” certainly feels like an oxymoron. That’s what I thought when first hearing about the turn in Kenneth Copp’s life in a story four years ago. Copp originally appeared on this site even earlier than that, when he was still with the Amish and living in the Unity, Maine community. In 2013 one of […]

Continue Reading A Short Film on Former Amish Convert – Now “Amish Atheist” – Kenneth Copp

I’ve got some photos of the community at Daviess County, Indiana to share with you today. These were taken by a friend of mine and emailed to me several years ago. For whatever reason, at the time I didn’t get around to posting them. I wanted to share them because we have surprisingly relatively little […]

Continue Reading The Amish of Daviess County, Indiana (17 Photos)

A non-Amish young lady has opened a pretzel business after learning the trade from Amish pretzel stand owners. And they are supporting her in her new venture. I found this a neat story for the fact that Serena Zentner wore Amish clothing while working at the Wyomissing (Reading, PA-area) farmer’s market: In December, Zentner was an […]

Continue Reading Non-Amish Girl Dons Amish Clothing To Learn The Pretzel Business

Last year a Michigan Amish family of nine were struck by a car while traveling by buggy. Sadly, the father has died of his injuries. Now the community is having a benefit dinner for the family, and an English friend is promoting it online. Here’s the information via the Facebook post: Our Amish neighbors in […]

Continue Reading English Friend Helps Promote Benefit Dinner For Michigan Amish Family

This is a neat story via kpcnews.com which demonstrates that not all Amish attend the classic one-room schoolhouses. In the larger settlements in particular, like Holmes County and northern Indiana, local public schools have a significant Amish makeup. This article reports on the graduation day at Westview School Corporation, which is located in the little […]

Continue Reading Indiana Public School Says Goodbye To 75 Graduating Amish 8th-Graders

From the Akron Beacon Journal: An Amish horse and buggy driver was killed after a crash with a pickup truck Thursday morning. Edna Keim, a 17-year-old girl from Homerville, died in the crash. According to a news release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the crash happened on state Route 301, north of U.S. Route […]

Continue Reading Teen Amish Girl Dies In Ohio Crash; Alcohol Likely A Factor

Last year, a PA State Deputy saved a 3-year-old Amish girl in a runaway buggy. Here’s another feel-good story – also involving law enforcement, Amish, and a speeding vehicle. Deputy Travis Goodwin of the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office made a traffic stop to remember Friday. From Fox8 Cleveland: “There is no such thing as a […]

Continue Reading Ohio Sheriff Pulls Over Speeder…Minutes Later, Helps Deliver Amish Baby

Last week brought the tragic news of a 4-year-old girl killed crossing the road while walking between events on an Amish wedding day. Amish Kitchen columnist Lovina Eicher has roots in the Adams County, Indiana Amish settlement where this happened, and the family involved are relatives on her husband’s side. In her latest column, Lovina […]

Continue Reading Lovina Eicher On The Road Accident Which Claimed A 4-Year-Old Girl’s Life

This is an interesting online Amish business guide for several reasons (via the Salamanca Press). First, it is very nicely done in an online “booklet” format. It features about two dozen businesses, of which around 20 appear to be Amish-owned. In addition to the ads, there are photos, info on the Amish and even some […]

Continue Reading 2-State Amish Business Guide (Allegany County, NY & Potter County, PA)

I recently checked in with the head of a large tourist business in one of the main Amish settlements. He told me that 2020 “was certainly an absolute disaster.” Things are somewhat better this year, but apparently not by a ton. That said, it is only May, and states are still in the process of […]

Continue Reading Tourists Not Too Worried About Low Holmes County Vaccination Rate

This was a neat idea for an article. Denise Fedorow of the Goshen News interviewed three Amish bicycle shop owners in the Nappanee, Indiana community to get their insights on what types of bicycles appeal to their Amish customers. Many Amish in this community and others use bicycles as a form of transportation (for more […]

Continue Reading Bike or Buggy? Insights From 3 Amish Bicycle Shop Owners

Why are Amish opting out of the COVID-19 vaccine? This Cedar Rapids Gazette article about Iowa Amish and the COVID vaccine is one of the better that I’ve seen. We get a deeper look at the Kalona Amish community, in some ways one of the more progressive settlements. Author Brooklyn Draisey speaks with several Amish […]

Continue Reading 4 Reasons Why Amish Are Skipping The Vaccine

Here’s one I hadn’t seen before: an Amish farmer in Lancaster County is selling his baseball card collection via online auction. Amish play baseball and softball, and there is certainly interest in the sport in some quarters. Amish have hobbies and pastimes of course, but we tend to hear about ones like hunting. So I’d […]

Continue Reading Amish Farmer Selling His Baseball Card Collection

It’s nothing new to observe that people feel overwhelmed by technology nowadays. The Amish fascinate many for a related reason. They’re a society of people who live with restricted technology, yet by many measures appear to be thriving. Here’s a new article on the Amish and technology where writer Alex Mayyasi looks to the Amish […]

Continue Reading Overwhelmed By Technology? Here Are 3 Ideas Inspired By The Amish

Tragic story from the Adams County, Indiana community: Master Trooper Kurt Jack’s preliminary investigation reports that the girl, identified as four-year-old Barbara JC Graber of Berne, and two other Amish children were running across U.S. 27 and crossed into the path of a southbound Buick passenger car. The Buick, driven by Wayne Foust, 82, of […]

Continue Reading 4-Year-Old Amish Girl Killed Crossing Highway

Similar to 2020, many mud sales have been canceled this year, though some are still happening. The Gratz, PA sale (Dauphin County) does not seem to show up on “official” lists of mud sales, but these are Lancaster-descent Amish, and it appears to be the same concept – a sale meant to support the local […]

Continue Reading Some Surprises From The 2021 Gratz Mud Sale (14 Photos)

Romain Speisser, who gave us a look at the history of the Amish in Salm (Alsace, France), returns today with a historical look at the Heftler people – and in particular an Amishman named Joseph Beller, notable as being likely the last Amish person in his area. The name “Beiler” (seen often in Lancaster County) […]

Continue Reading Amish History: “Heftler” Joseph Beller of Quelle

I just came across an Amish business listing for the nation’s fifth-largest community, with over 75 businesses. I wouldn’t say Adams County, Indiana is an Amish destination that draws a ton of visitors. I think it is overshadowed by the three or four larger communities, as well as some smaller ones. I also don’t think […]

Continue Reading 75+ Amish Businesses of Adams County, Indiana

It’s been a while since we had an Amish singing clip. I think it’s a nice time to post this one. This is described as an “Amish Hymn-Sing at the Historic Nicholas Stoltzfus Homestead”. It’s a good time because the homestead just celebrated its 250th anniversary this past week, with a gathering and benefit auction. […]

Continue Reading Listen To Amish Sing 2 Hymns – German & English (Audio)

The post yesterday on one Amishman’s daily schedule mentioned meals – and that got me thinking a bit about the different places Amish eat their meals. So traditionally Amish life revolves around the home. We picture Amish having regular meal times as a fixed facet of daily life, and safe to say that’s still where […]

Continue Reading 6 Places Where Amish Eat Meals

If you read the Amish Cook column, you might have noticed that Gloria Yoder had the week off. Her husband Daniel has taken over column duties this week. He takes the opportunity to share his daily schedule with us. Photo: Ed C. Amish daily schedules vary, but they usually have a few things in common: […]

Continue Reading One Amishman’s Daily Schedule

So this video threw me for a loop at first – it opens up with footage of a Nebraska Amish buggy. But the actual auction footage, and later buggies, appear to be all Lancaster Amish. Video creator “Art Food and Culture in the USA” comments that this is the Seneca region of New York. Amish […]

Continue Reading NY Amish Auction Video (White & Gray Buggies?)

Good news for buggy drivers in a corner of northern Indiana. New buggy lanes are being installed in the Elkhart-LaGrange community. From The Goshen News: “We’re widening both traffic lanes from 10 feet to 12 feet wide,” Weirick said. “At the same time, the new buggy lanes on either side of the road will improve […]

Continue Reading Elkhart County Getting Buggy Lanes On “Heavily-Traveled” Road

There are around 600 Amish settlements across North America, with new settlements being started at a rate of about one every 10 days. You may have even seen Amish start a new community near you recently – or you might sometime soon. At the same time, many Amish settlements have failed over the years. There […]

Continue Reading The 25 Amish Communities At Least 100 Years Old

An Amishman in Canada finds himself in an unusual and likely unique situation, serving as bishop for two Amish churches – one in New Brunswick province, and the other just across the border in the US, in Maine. That’s one of a number of interesting details in Gabriel Arsenault’s article  “Understanding Amish Migrations to New […]

Continue Reading The Amish Bishop With Churches In Two Countries

Adams County, Indiana wants to build a municipal sewer system in a certain area of the county. And it wants Amish living in that area to “get with the program” and connect to the electrically-powered system. The Amish side attempted to reach a compromise first but were denied. Here’s the gist of the problem from […]

Continue Reading Adams County: Amish Must Connect To Sewer System. Amish Respond With Lawsuit

We have a winner of Who is Who in The Budget Volume III following our Q&A with Budget Publisher Milo G. Miller last week. Before we get to that though, a few excerpts from the book. First, an excerpt from Milo Miller’s Introduction: This is an informative reference book solely evolved from The Budget Newspaper; […]

Continue Reading Who Is Who In The Budget Volume III – Winner & Excerpt

If you drove by this home and this is what you saw, would you think it was Amish? How about if you drove down the lane and came upon this view? This home in the New Wilmington Amish community is described at its realtor.com listing as “English built – Amish Owned”. From both the outside […]

Continue Reading Inside An English-Built, Amish-Owned Brick Ranch Home (17 Photos)

Linda Stoltzfoos’ body was positively identified by the Lancaster County coroner, who performed an autopsy Friday. This puts an official confirmation on what had already been suspected, and strongly suggested in a Thursday press conference by Lancaster County DA Heather Adams. A brief report is here. It includes details on the nature of death, which […]

Continue Reading Linda Stoltzfoos’ Body Positively Identified (Updated)

Milo Miller is the Publisher of two publications widely-read in Amish circles – The Budget & The Diary. I had the pleasure of meeting Milo at his office for the first time on a visit to Sugarcreek, Ohio in 2019 (below photo). I asked Milo if he’d answer a few questions for us about The […]

Continue Reading Q&A with Milo Miller, Publisher of The Budget & The Diary (Book Giveaway)

It was reported by one news station yesterday that the station had been given confirmation by “the family” of Linda Stoltzfoos that the human remains found yesterday belonged to her. But no details beyond that were given in the station’s report. Linda’s uncle Mervin Fisher is now quoted in Lancaster Online on the discovery: A […]

Continue Reading Lancaster County DA: “We strongly believe” remains belong to Linda (Press Conference Video)

It has not been confirmed by authorities that these are Linda’s remains. The remains were found near the former workplace of Justo Smoker, who has been charged with homicide in the case. From Fox43: Police say they have located human remains while searching for missing 18-year-old Lancaster County Amish woman, Linda Stoltzfoos. The FBI and […]

Continue Reading Human Remains Found During Search For Linda Stoltzfoos

Similar to reports from northern Indiana and Lancaster County, the Amish in Daviess County, Indiana mostly seem to believe they have already had COVID-19, according to one of their own. And there is one further implication to that which you’ll see in this quote: “The COVID-19 went through the community last year,” said spokesman for […]

Continue Reading Daviess County Also Believes Everyone Had COVID Already

Another head-scratching headline following last week’s example. On Friday NPR published a report titled “Convincing Amish Communities To Get Vaccinated As Their COVID-19 Cases Surge“. The bold was added by me to draw your attention to that scary word. This was an “All Things Considered” audio report which became the article linked here. This headline […]

Continue Reading NPR Reports Non-Existent Amish COVID “Surge”?

I have to say this headline today caught my eye, for obvious reasons: “TJ’s Liquor stays busy with new Amish store“. Doesn’t that kind of sound like a liquor outlet is running a new store…catering to the Amish? Reading the article, however, you learn that this business is actually adding an “Amish Country Store”. But […]

Continue Reading Minnesota Liquor Seller…Adds Amish Store?

On a post last week, Maureen asked where to find clothesline wheels. C.J. added: I too, would be interested in knowing where a wheel could be purchased and if they come in varying sizes. Do any hardware stores carry them, and could they be ordered online? Reader “Along 340” shared two favorite resources in reply […]

Continue Reading Where To Find Amish Clothesline Wheels & More

We’re back with the winner of Grounded Upon God’s Word: The Life and Labors of Jakob Ammann, a new book by authors Andrew V. Ste. Marie and Mike Atnip about the life of the early Amish leader. If you missed the Q-and-A with Andrew, you can check that out here. The book winner is at […]

Continue Reading Grounded Upon God’s Word: The Life and Labors of Jakob Ammann – Book Winner & Excerpt

We recently looked again at Amish women’s occupations in the post 5 Jobs Done By Amish Women. In that post, commenter “Along 340” shared a personal list of 12 further examples of Amish women’s occupations which I felt deserved a post of its own. Photo: Kelsey Hochstetler/Keim Lumber By the way, some of you may […]

Continue Reading 12 More Jobs Done By Amish Women

Grounded Upon God’s Word: The Life and Labors of Jakob Ammann is a new book by co-authors Andrew V. Ste. Marie and Mike Atnip. Ammann was the early leader of the Amish, for whom the group is named. For many years, little was known about Ammann, though in recent decades fresh research has revealed more […]

Continue Reading Who Was Jakob Ammann? Q-and-A & Book Giveaway

In the latest edition of the Journal of Plain Anabaptist Communities (JPAC) we find an article by Henry Troyer titled “Change and Continuity in Amish Wedding Dates in the Holmes County, Ohio, Settlement“. I found several interesting facts in Troyer’s piece I’d like to share with you, concerning Holmes County wedding customs. Let’s start with the […]

Continue Reading 3 Interesting Facts About Holmes County Amish Weddings

The Walker Valley Market in the Pearisburg, VA community is one of the nicest Amish food-and-more stores I’ve visited. I was here once before, about a year ago, but only shared quick photos of the front of the store and a couple of food items. A reader named Shawn also visited this place which featured […]

Continue Reading Inside The Walker Valley Market (24 Photos)

Up to 90% of Lancaster County Plain families have had at least one family member infected with COVID-19, according to a local health center administrator. From Lancaster Online: Late last spring a COVID-19 wave tore through the Plain community when they resumed church services, infecting an untold number of Amish and Mennonites in Lancaster County. […]

Continue Reading Have The Amish Reached Herd Immunity?

Will it be possible to attend a Lancaster County mud sale in 2021? Every year in early January I post a listing of the coming year’s mud sales. I have not done so yet this year due to the uncertainty (in 2020, many were cancelled due to COVID). Looking at the current schedule, things do […]

Continue Reading Lancaster County Mud Sales 2021 (The Sales Still Happening & Cancellations)

Molly asks a good question on the recent Lancaster farm stay post: Eric, would you tell us the differences between Lancaster county & Holmes county? We have visited Holmes county, but would like to know the differences. As the two largest and most-visited Amish communities, people often wonder which one of Holmes County and Lancaster […]

Continue Reading Which Community Should You Visit? 7 Differences Between Lancaster County & Holmes County

There is an interesting discussion on the Ag Talk forum about Amish pies. The original post is basically a complaint that pies made by the Amish in the poster’s area of central New York are not very good. An excerpt: I’ve tried 3 different Amish sources 2 on farms and one at a Amish store. Yesterday […]

Continue Reading Beware of Amish-Made Pies?

A comment by Al in KY got me thinking about how many Amish settlements I’ve actually visited. I had tallied this up before, but it was years ago. So I thought it a good idea to put together a fresh list. I believe the very first settlement I went to was Lancaster County, but that […]

Continue Reading My Amish Settlement List (58 Communities)

On the heels of the “20 Unique Ways Amish Raise Their Kids” article, another click-magnet piece popped up on my news feed this morning. This one is called “15 Insane Rules All Amish Kids Must Follow.” I take “Insane” in this context to mean crazy, odd, or absurd (that is, according to the article writer/editor). […]

Continue Reading 15 “Insane” Rules All Amish Children Must Follow..?

Amish are well-known for living by guidelines and rules governing technology, dress, and other aspects of daily life. But Amish churches are not all the same. Some are more traditional, and others more progressive. Some do things one way, and others do things another way. So how do Amish know the dos and don’ts specific […]

Continue Reading 6 Examples of Amish Ordnung Rules

Donald Kraybill is the author of over a dozen books on the Amish, and currently serves as Senior Fellow Emeritus at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College. I asked Don if he’d answer some questions for us today on the Amish and his newest book, called Simply Amish: An Essential […]

Continue Reading Donald Kraybill on Simply Amish (Q-and-A & Giveaway)