A reader living in the Allen County, Indiana settlement shares a pair of rather surprising photos. As you can see in these shots, local Amish are sending a message to any potential new neighbors.

Warning To Home Buyers

Our reader explains what’s going on here:

There is a new subdivision going in on a road near us and the Amish that live on that road have been mad that they lost the zoning fight.  I thought it was a great illustration of the tension that exists between Amish and ‘English’ in a county like ours.

Amish Warning Sign

If you can’t view the photo, the sign reads: “Warning! Home Buyer’s [sic] Manure Hauling Area…”

I’m going to linger a moment on the three little dots which finish the message…not exactly ominous, but suggestive.

Zoning matters can be fraught with tension for Amish and English neighbors alike.

In areas like half-million-population Lancaster County, PA, or the Allen County Amish community–abutting Fort Wayne–city sprawl threatens the tenor of rural life.

On the other hand, zoning decisions that allow Amish to operate noisy and sometimes rather large businesses can upset English locals.

I don’t think I’ve heard of Amish doing something quite like this before. Though having experience with the Amish in Allen County, I’m not really surprised.

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