Author: Erik Wesner

Erik Wesner is the creator of amishamerica.com, and author of Success Made Simple: An Inside Look At Why Amish Businesses Thrive. Erik began visiting Amish communities in 2004 – eventually meeting thousands of Amish families while selling books. He began writing about the Amish on this website in 2006, and is often cited in national media on a wide range of Amish topics. A native of North Carolina, Erik has visited dozens of Amish communities across the country, and loves spending time with Amish friends and discovering new Amish places.

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Trial Of Amish Mother’s Accused Killer Moved (Again) – Until At Least March 2025

Trial Of Amish Mother’s Accused Killer Moved (Again) – Until At Least March 2025

This is the second time the trial of Shawn C. Cranston, accused of killing 23-year-old pregnant Amish mother Rebekah Byler, has been moved. Cranston was originally meant to be tried in June, but the defense team got a continuance due to having to process “large amounts” of evidence. Cranston had a preliminary hearing in March, which revealed that he had driven for the Amish. Later,…

Inside A “Life-in-Progress” Amish Home (12 Photos)

Inside A “Life-in-Progress” Amish Home (12 Photos)

Some Amish homes we see are spick-and-span clean, staged to look beautiful for their photo shoots. In others, Amish family life is captured in all its messy glory. This home belongs to group #2. Here’s the description of this Wisconsin Amish home: Amish farmette. Trophy white tail and turkey hunting with Grant River across the road. Fences around property line. Natural spring. Land levels off…

A Visit With Marlene: Autumn, Amish Art, & More

A Visit With Marlene: Autumn, Amish Art, & More

Marlene Lehman and I sat down this week (virtually, that is) for a talk about a wide range of topics. Here is the first part of it. In this 22-minute vid, we discuss Amish artists, signs of autumn in her Shipshewana-area Amish community, fall craft shows & festivals, “male” and “female” jobs on the farm, and more.  Amish & Mennonite Autumn Festivals If you’re…

Local Man Tries To Stop “Accident Waiting To Happen” At Amish School

Local Man Tries To Stop “Accident Waiting To Happen” At Amish School

A non-Amish man sees a tragedy waiting to unfold in his Wisconsin community – and is trying to prevent it. As reported at WKOW, Jim Kostohrys says this “blind curve” & hill – right before drivers reach an Amish school – are a potentially deadly combo. Have a look. Just past it, dozens of Amish children walk to, or get dropped off at school each…

Inside A Cheery (Nearly Empty) Amish Home (18 Photos)

Inside A Cheery (Nearly Empty) Amish Home (18 Photos)

I usually post home photos that show a lived-in space. But sometimes it’s interesting to see what an emptied-out Amish home looks like (like this Mississippi Amish home from earlier this year). That’s what we have again here today with these photos from the atypical Amish community at Enon Valley, PA. According to the description, an Amish family is actually still living here. So these…

Rosanna King, Who Survived 2006 Amish School Shooting, Has Died

Rosanna King, Who Survived 2006 Amish School Shooting, Has Died

Rosanna was wounded in the school shooting as a first grader – just 6 years old at the time. Many felt her survival was a miracle. From Lancaster Online: An Amish woman who was wounded as a child in the 2006 mass shooting at West Nickel Mines School in Bart Township died Tuesday, according to sources familiar with the circumstances of her death. Rosanna King, 23, died in her Paradise Township…

“Amish Man” Driving A Tesla Cybertruck? Not So Fast…

“Amish Man” Driving A Tesla Cybertruck? Not So Fast…

Are the Amish driving Teslas now? If you glanced at recent headlines, you might come away with that idea. Ben Zook runs Belmont Solar, located in Lancaster County. According to the story at teslarati.com, they install solar panels in 90 local homes, mostly Amish, each year (I’ve heard of this company before, but never had any direct dealings with it). The hook of the story…

Amish Forgive Harassment By High School Football Players

Amish Forgive Harassment By High School Football Players

This story appeared several days ago with scant details attached. Now more has come out and (a bit to my surprise) it’s starting to get national attention. Besides getting a lot of local coverage, Newsweek has now picked it up. Amish in the neighborhood of LaValle, Wisconsin (Sauk County) had been getting harassed in their homes at night. Nine juveniles were cited for disorderly conduct….

Video Released: Hero Trooper Saves Amish Girl in Runaway Buggy

Video Released: Hero Trooper Saves Amish Girl in Runaway Buggy

Remember the story of a New York State trooper who saved an Amish girl in a runaway buggy? Last month, the NY State Police also released video of the incident, which I filed away, and, frankly, forgot to share with you 🙂 So I’ve got that for you today. To recall what happened, as reported in the Sun Community News: On May 16, Trooper James…

Inside A “Super Basic” Amish Home (18 Photos)

Inside A “Super Basic” Amish Home (18 Photos)

I’ve got a very simple and what I’m calling “super basic” Amish home to share with you this week. You’ll see why I gave it that nickname in a minute. The location is one of Tennessee’s 14+ Amish settlements, in the area of Stantonville (McNairy County). This is a Swartzentruber Amish community and it has been around a little while – since 2009. The latest…