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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Amish Youth Abandon Stereo-Equipped Buggy After Being Pulled Over (UPDATE: Father Comes Forward)

Amish Youth Abandon Stereo-Equipped Buggy After Being Pulled Over (UPDATE: Father Comes Forward)

This is what an Amish buggy equipped with a stereo system looks like. These are big speakers and can surely put out some noise: It’s unclear if they were turned on when sheriff’s deputies pulled this buggy over in the Geauga County Amish community. The occupants of the carriage promptly ran off. From wspa.com: Just before 1 a.m., Trumbull County sheriff’s deputies said they saw…

The Milverton, Ontario Amish School Auction

The Milverton, Ontario Amish School Auction

A month ago we looked at the first Amish settlement in Canada – that of Milverton, Ontario. In the post I referenced a quote from Fred Lichti, a Mennonite pastor who lives in nearby Elmira. Fred had this to say in a talk on the community: These Amish in the Milverton area have continued to worship in homes on Sunday mornings. They had little growth…

Thoughts From 3 Amish Families In A New Michigan Community

Thoughts From 3 Amish Families In A New Michigan Community

Amish began moving to Manistee County, Michigan in the summer of 2018. A year later, there are nine families in this county which borders Lake Michigan, with more expected. In a nice article at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, three of those families share some insights on Amish life, and how they’ve adapted in the new community. 1. David and Barbara Hershberger David is the bishop…

Is Hemp The New Amish Cash Crop?

Is Hemp The New Amish Cash Crop?

I missed this odd story when it appeared in late August. Someone is stealing hemp plants from two Amish farmers in Chester County (part of the greater Lancaster County settlement). I wasn’t even aware Amish were growing hemp, which is used to make a wide array of products including clothing, rope, insulation, plastics, and biofuel. And there is a reason – this is all quite…

Amish Seventh-Day Adventists? A Look At The West Salem Mission

Amish Seventh-Day Adventists? A Look At The West Salem Mission

Do you remember the “Amish Seventh-Day Adventists“? Andy and Naomi Weaver, former members of a Swartzentruber Amish church, were featured in a post here two years ago. They had been interviewed for an article and Seventh-day Adventist television program, telling the story of how they left the Amish for the Adventist faith. Not long ago I came across another video on YouTube connected with the…

A Visit To Pineview Bulk Food & Deli  – Farmville, VA (30 Photos)

A Visit To Pineview Bulk Food & Deli – Farmville, VA (30 Photos)

Sometimes you just know a place is “Amish” at first sight. That was the case as we drove by and spotted Pineview Bulk Food & Deli, just a couple of miles outside the quaint town of Farmville, Virginia. I had a couple of addresses of Amish places in the community, but found my phone signal was so weak that I couldn’t get Google Maps to…

How Does An Amish Medical Aid Plan Work?

How Does An Amish Medical Aid Plan Work?

How do Amish pay medical bills, if they don’t have health insurance? We get a look at how some Amish handle this in a new piece on Cincinnatti Public Radio. Amish famously do not use commercial health insurance, opting to rely on their own churches and extended communities when the need is great. And while a “pass-the-hat” approach may have been more common in the…

Daviess County & Local Amish Work Together On Road Damage

Daviess County & Local Amish Work Together On Road Damage

I found this article in the Washington Times Herald to offer a positive example of Amish and authorities working to solve a common problem – road damage cause by horses and buggies. This is a breath of fresh air compared to the way similar conflicts seem to be addressed in some places. The Amish in Daviess County, Indiana already pay $60 for buggy licenses to…

5 Insights From Swartzentruber Amishman Sam Shetler

5 Insights From Swartzentruber Amishman Sam Shetler

I didn’t plan on this becoming a series, but we’ve had a nice run of articles lately with Amish people sharing their lives and beliefs (see posts on Indiana Amishman John Gingerich and Illinois Amishman Reuben Mast). I’ve enjoyed them, and hopefully you have too. It would be good to get a female Amish perspective soon, but men tend to do more of the talking…

Lancaster County Amish Realtor: “We have to move”

On its own, that’s a dramatic statement. There is some context, of course. First of all, who said it? This was Chet Lapp, a 37-year-old Amishman from Lancaster County. Lapp also happens to be a real estate agent in the community. From the WITF story by Rachel McDevitt: Chet Lapp, an Amish realtor, argues more of his fellow Amish should leave Lancaster County for the purpose…