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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A Visit to Glick’s Natural Products – Lancaster County, PA (15 Photos)

A Visit to Glick’s Natural Products – Lancaster County, PA (15 Photos)

If you’re in Lancaster County, one Amish store to have on the radar is Glick’s Natural Products. Glick’s is an Amish-run food store specializing in – you guessed it – natural foods, remedies and other health-related items. This is a fully-stocked store which has been around for awhile. The people working here are friendly and helpful. Last time I visited, I was actually there as…

What Do Amish Brides Wear?

What Do Amish Brides Wear?

Amish wedding season is in full swing. I was reminded of this yesterday speaking with an Amish friend about visiting Thursday – he had to stop to think if they had any weddings that day. Thankfully the schedule is clear, but it’s not uncommon to have multiple weddings to attend in a week, and even on the same day (Tuesday and Thursday being the traditional…

2-Year-Old Killed, 10 Amish Injured in Thanksgiving Eve Fire

2-Year-Old Killed, 10 Amish Injured in Thanksgiving Eve Fire

One Amish family in Geauga County, Ohio is facing great tragedy this Thanksgiving. From Newsweek: One child died and 10 people were injured when a fire tore through the home of an Amish family Wednesday evening in Middlefield, Ohio. The two-year-old was declared dead on arrival at nearby UH Geauga Medical Center, according to NBC-affiliate WKYC. The first fire crews arrived at the two-story, wood-framed house at 6.21…

A Special Amish Thanksgiving Supper

A Special Amish Thanksgiving Supper

How do Amish celebrate Thanksgiving? As anywhere, that can vary, but Gloria Yoder shares one special experience in her latest Amish Cook column – an annual supper held for widows in her community: This year Wanita took charge of coordinating the event. The meal consisted of ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn and salad, as well as pumpkin, apple and peach pies served with ice cream….

What Is An Amish Wedding Wagon?

How to prep food for 300+ wedding guests? The Amish, accustomed to frequent weddings with many attendees, have figured out a way to make the whole affair easier and more efficient. Enter the wedding wagon: For those who don’t know what a wedding wagon is, it is like an RV with a ramp added on, with six or seven propane gas stoves and ovens in…

The 11 Midwestern States With An Amish Population

The 11 Midwestern States With An Amish Population

We’ve looked at the 12 Southern, 5 Western, and 4 Northeastern states with Amish populations. Finally, today we review the 11 Midwestern states with Amish communities. The Midwest as a region has a higher percentage of its states with Amish populations (11 of 12) than any other. In some sense it is both the “US heartland” and “Amish heartland”. Three of the four most Amish-populous…

Gloria Yoder On Auctioning Her Grandparents’ Estate – And What Matters Most Of All

Gloria Yoder On Auctioning Her Grandparents’ Estate – And What Matters Most Of All

What does it feel like to auction off your loved ones’ possessions? Those special things that have accumulated over a lifetime and hold stores of precious memories? For the Amish, this is the way things work when the aged pass on. Amish Cook Gloria Yoder writes this week about auctioning off her grandparents’ estate, following her grandmother’s recent passing: Ever since Grandma’s death, I knew…

Wisconsin Amish Family Forgives Hit-And-Run Driver

An Amish family has made news by forgiving a hit-and-run driver in Wisconsin. It’s far from the first example of this by the Amish – and we’ve often seen it in much more serious cases (see below). The financial burden is clearly in the family’s thoughts. But it’s also remarkable how warm their sentiments are towards the driver, who seriously injured at least two people….

3 Life Lessons From The Amish (According To A Lancaster Mennonite Pastor)

3 Life Lessons From The Amish (According To A Lancaster Mennonite Pastor)

What would be the 3 biggest “life lessons” the Amish could offer the rest of us? Lancaster County Mennonite pastor Joe Miller shares in a recent article what he feels non-Amish people can learn from the Amish example. “Amish life lessons” or “what we can learn from the Amish” pieces are not uncommon – see these on 4 Amish health habits, 23 ways to “live Amish”,…

Amish Autumn Scenes, Pumpkins, Halloween & More (29 Photos)

Amish Autumn Scenes, Pumpkins, Halloween & More (29 Photos)

With the air crisp and the calendar about to leave October behind, I thought it would be a nice time to look back at fall-related posts we’ve featured here over the years. Check out these beautiful photos by Bill Coleman and others, a look at the Amish and Halloween, and more below. I hope you’re enjoying this autumn season – it has been absolutely beautiful…