I often get questions from readers wanting to have a “deeper experience” when they visit the Amish – something more than a buggy ride or buying canned goods at a roadside stand. For instance, there are a few Amish lodging places though they are not common. There are also families who will host you in their homes for a meal. Often you need to set this up in advance, come…
Amish in Montana’s West Kootenai community suffered heavy losses last week when the fast-moving Caribou Fire destroyed dozens of buildings in the span of a few hours. The Missoulian interviewed 34-year-old Amish resident Andy Yoder on the fire and what he expects when his family returns to the site of their former home: Someday soon — before anyone has a chance to begin cleaning up…
Do you know any Yoders? If so, you might want to congratulate them on a big anniversary. It’s been three centuries since the first Anabaptist Yoder set foot in North America. Shipshewana, IN will be home to a special edition of the Yoder Reunion event: The 2017 National Yoder Reunion will take place Sept. 20 to 23, and it will commemorate the 300th year since the arrival of…
News of a wildfire in the vicinity of the Rexford, Montana Amish settlement (West Kootenai) began appearing over the past few days. Initial reports were that the Amish community was “OK”. Today brings different news. The Amish have in fact been hit hard – so far losing a total of 40 buildings – 10 homes and 30 outbuildings – to what’s being called the Caribou Fire. Another…
Can you be Amish – and belong to another church at the same time? Andy and Naomi Weaver believe the answer is yes. In an article at adventistreview.org, “We are Amish. And we are Seventh-Day Adventists“, Andy and Naomi share their journey from a conservative Amish community at West Salem, Ohio, to the Seventh-day Adventist church: One day, about five years ago, Andy, who by now had…
There’s been a discussion recently over whether Amish in Pennsylvania should have their buggies registered and carry license plates, just like motor vehicles. Young Center Senior Scholar Steven Nolt recently appeared on WITF’s Smart Talk to discuss the issue. Here’s the back story: Drive behind a Amish horse and buggy in Pennsylvania and you’ll see a fluorescent orange, triangular placard attached to the gray and…
If you’d like a glimpse of Amish areas in the Empire State, newyorkupstate.com has posted 14 photos taken in Western New York. The article references Chautauqua County, which is home to several Amish communities, including the settlement at Clymer (10 church districts as of 2017). However, at least some of these photos may in fact be from neighboring Cattaraugus County, which includes the town of Leon, noted in a…
Anyone out there in Amish America-land catch the eclipse yesterday? I noticed a few news articles today referencing Amish and the event, such as this report or this one referencing a meeting “with some 1,200 other Amish and Mennonites on a large hill on an Amish farm.” More than a handful of Amish communities were in the path – going by NASA’s eclipse map below and state maps…
Terri Roberts was the mother of Charles Carl Roberts IV, the man responsible for the Nickel Mines Amish school shootings in 2006. Terri passed away this weekend following a 13-year battle with cancer. I met Terri briefly on one occasion, at the Forgiveness conference at Elizabethtown College in 2011. She seemed full of life and a lot more energy than you’d expect despite the disease…
The Amish community at Fort Fairfield, Maine is turning 10 years old, and Bangor Daily News has an article on the community with comments from founder Noah Yoder. With his wife and 11 children, Yoder moved to the area from upstate New York as the settlement’s first family in August 2007. We have looked at this settlement once before in 2013, following a piece in…