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, including USA Today, The New York Times, and others 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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$30,000 Daily Fines? Rancher Claims “Stupid” Outhouse Crackdown Is Forcing Amish Out Of Wyoming Community

$30,000 Daily Fines? Rancher Claims “Stupid” Outhouse Crackdown Is Forcing Amish Out Of Wyoming Community

ByErik Wesner
7 Comments

Another conflict over outhouses has roiled an Amish community in America’s least-populated state, with a rancher claiming threats of massive fines have caused local Amish families to start leaving. Hulett in Crook County is the site of Wyoming’s largest and oldest Amish settlement – about 190 people according to Young Center estimates, or roughly 40 families according to the report by Kate Meadows at Cowboy…

This Extra-Long Amish Home Has Solar Power, 2 Kitchens & A 3-Door Garage (24 Photos)

This Extra-Long Amish Home Has Solar Power, 2 Kitchens & A 3-Door Garage (24 Photos)

ByErik Wesner

The first thing you’ll notice about this Amish home is that it just keeps going. It’s one of the longest homes we’ve featured in this series. A low, stretched-out ranch style that’s half-home, and half-three-door garage. More on that garage in a minute – it’s doing more than just buggy storage. This one is in Madison County, Iowa, just outside Winterset. It’s a small Amish…

Sheriff’s Office Searching for Missing “At Risk” Amish Man in Southern Illinois

Sheriff’s Office Searching for Missing “At Risk” Amish Man in Southern Illinois

ByErik Wesner

Reports are coming out over the past hour that authorities in deep southern Illinois are asking for help finding a young Amish man who hasn’t been seen since Friday evening. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is searching for 20-year-old Joseph Kaufman, who they’ve classified as an “at risk” missing person. Here are the main details concerning his description via KFVS: According to the sheriff’s office,…

Man Charged With Attempted Kidnapping Of Amish Girl — After Months Of Harassment & Indecent Exposure

Man Charged With Attempted Kidnapping Of Amish Girl — After Months Of Harassment & Indecent Exposure

ByErik Wesner
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A man has been arrested and charged after what investigators describe as a months-long pattern of harassment & indecent exposure aimed at young females in the Amish community near DeGraff, Ohio. The Logan County Sheriff’s Office laid out the allegations in a press release, via Peak of Ohio: Detectives from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office have been investigating multiple reports received within the last several…

New York Is America’s #5 Amish State — Here Are Its 10 Biggest Communities

New York Is America’s #5 Amish State — Here Are Its 10 Biggest Communities

ByErik Wesner

New York is home to America’s fifth-largest Amish population. Over 25,000 Amish live in dozens of locations across the state. These ten communities are the largest in New York, based on the most current Amish population estimates. Population numbers via Young Center for Anabaptist & Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College (source link at bottom). 1. Heuvelton Heuvelton (St. Lawrence County) Community founded: 1975 Total Amish…

New York Man Charged With 10 Burglaries Of Amish Homes

New York Man Charged With 10 Burglaries Of Amish Homes

ByErik Wesner
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It looks like another run of targeting the Amish has come to an end. A Brocton, New York man is facing a 35-count indictment over a string of burglaries at Amish homes in the far western end of the state. The burglaries happened in various parts of Chautauqua County, which is home to several separate Amish settlements. More from WGRZ: Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason…

Amish Dairy Recalls Cheese In 5 States – And D.C. – Over Listeria Contamination

Amish Dairy Recalls Cheese In 5 States – And D.C. – Over Listeria Contamination

ByErik Wesner

An Amish-owned dairy in Maryland is recalling all of its cheese products over possible listeria contamination, with distribution having reached five states and Washington, D.C. To date, nine people in multiple states have been identified as infected with this listeria outbreak strain. That includes one person who died in Maryland in 2023. Clover Hill Dairy, based in Mechanicsville, Maryland, first issued a voluntary recall of…

New from Mike & Marty: “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”

New from Mike & Marty: “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”

ByErik Wesner
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“Will The Circle Be Unbroken” was originally written in 1907 by Ada R. Habershon, with music by Charles H. Gabriel. Versions of it were later more famously recorded by The Carter Family, Johnny Cash, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – with variations in lyrics and music. Now Mike and Marty contribute their own effort to the unbroken circle line. Their version of the song…

Virginia Department Of Health Says “Stay Away” From Amish Auction – Due To Measles Outbreak

Virginia Department Of Health Says “Stay Away” From Amish Auction – Due To Measles Outbreak

ByErik Wesner
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The Virginia Department of Health doesn’t often have opinions about Amish auctions. This week it made an exception. In a health advisory issued Thursday, the department pointed to the Amish Parochial School Consignment Auction in Dillwyn, set for this Friday and Saturday, as an event people should skip if they’re not vaccinated against measles. That’s because Buckingham County is in the middle of a measles…

11-Year-Old Amish Boy Seriously Injured After Buggy Pulls Into Path Of Oncoming SUV

11-Year-Old Amish Boy Seriously Injured After Buggy Pulls Into Path Of Oncoming SUV

ByErik Wesner
7 Comments

It’s believed that an 11-year-old Amish boy pulled out into oncoming traffic, resulting in a serious accident in Gladwin County, Michigan on Wednesday morning. According to police the boy’s view was obscured. Here’s more from ABC 12: The crash happened just after 10 a.m. on McCulloch Rd., about a quarter-mile north of Lang Road in Beaverton Township. According to the Gladwin County Sheriff’s Office, an…