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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13 Amish Going To Trial Over Manure Ordinance

13 Amish Going To Trial Over Manure Ordinance

From the Bowling Green Daily News (Kentucky): RUSSELLVILLE – A trial date has been set for 13 members of Auburn’s Amish community who have been cited for violating a local ordinance that requires them to clean up after their horses. Authorities have accused the Amish defendants of running afoul of Auburn’s ordinance setting forth the need for large animals traveling within the city limits to…

5 Interesting Facts on Lancaster Amish Schools

Over the weekend, Lancaster Online published an interesting article on the Amish and Old Order Mennonite schools of Lancaster County. The situation here is unlike most other Amish communities, in that some schools have both Amish and Mennonite students. Lancaster County has a large Old Order Mennonite presence, centered in the northern half of the county. So in those areas, you’ll find mixed classrooms of students and may have a Mennonite or an…

A Visit to an Amish Maple-Iced Cookie Baker (Video)

Here’s a nice video giving a little look into maple syrup production, plus a visit to Amish baker Emma Miller’s bakery for a baking demo and interview. Host Robin Benzle comes to us from Burton, Ohio, which is in the Geauga County Amish settlement in northeastern Ohio. Last week we had a look at the goods on display in Miller’s Bakery in Holmes County, Ohio….

Amish Bishop Charged For Failing To Report Abuse

An Amish bishop in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania is in the news for failing to report sexual abuse of two children in his church by another church member. From Lancaster Online: An Amish bishop in Dauphin County is facing charges after being accused of failing to report two cases of alleged sexual abuse of children. Christ M. Stoltzfus, 69, is charged with two misdemeanor counts of…

Visiting Miller’s Bakery – Charm, Ohio (Video)

Another nice video from Lavonne DeBois of Amish Heartland Tours. In this 3+ minute clip you get a little stroll around Amish-owned Miller’s Bakery, located near Charm, Ohio. Goodies you’ll find at Miller’s include cookies, pies, jams, noodles, pinwheels, and a nice selection of cheese tarts. The oddest item to me are the raisin-filled cookies. Never seen that one before and not sure it would be…

15-Year Amish Smoking Study Shows Secondhand Exposure Dangers

You read that right – an Amish smoking study. Many are surprised to learn that some Amish people smoke. A certain segment of Amish (notably Lancaster County) produces tobacco as a cash crop. Smoking is considered a part of tradition in some Amish communities. And as in any population you’re going to find some smokers just as you do drinkers, drug users, Boston Creme donut…

What Can You Find At An Amish School Auction?

School auctions happen often across Amish America. Some of them have become rather well-known – happening in places like Jamesport, MO, Beeville, TX, Clarita, OK, and Rexford, MT. Today we have a look at an ad from an upcoming event at Pawnee City, Nebraska. There are some neat details here which show you what you can expect to find at an auction. The proceeds from these events help fund…

Swartzentruber Amish Testing Unusual Buggy Visibility Solution (Updated)

Do you recall the recent story of the Amish man who had survived 14 buggy crashes? Levi Shetler is a member of the Swartzentruber Amish group, which does not use the orange safety triangle and other otherwise-common safety features. It looks like change is coming to the group’s approach to vehicle safety – at least in Shetler’s corner of Ohio. Amish in the man’s community have…

Watch An Amish Woman Make Brooms (Video)

I have to say I’ve never spent much time wondering how brooms are made. But I still quite enjoyed this video, with commentary by a talkative Amish woman named Ada. In the video you see her making brooms using a clankety foot-powered contraption as she discusses the ins and outs of her craft. As Ada works she is interviewed by LaVonne De Bois, who leads tours in…

Amish Schoolchildren Sing “The Ninety-Nine” (Video)

Amish Schoolchildren Sing “The Ninety-Nine” (Video)

It’s hard to watch this video (below) and not smile. A class of Amish schoolchildren sings “The Ninety-Nine” for the camera in what looks to be a Holmes County, Ohio Amish school. So enjoy this sweet rendition of a 120-year-old hymn…and can you tell from the video why I guessed this to be that community? The Ninety-Nine William G. Schell, pub. 1897 The ninety-nine within…