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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“Lifetime Buck” Stolen From Amish Hunters

“Lifetime Buck” Stolen From Amish Hunters

It’s still deer hunting season – and that means in many Amish communities, the men (and some women) are taking full advantage of the chance to go after a prize buck. And in Perry County, Pennsylvania, one group of hunters managed to get that trophy – only to have it swiped away by a thief. The report from CBS 21: PERRY COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) —…

Ben & Rose Do A Christmas Classic: “Away In A Manger”

Ben & Rose Do A Christmas Classic: “Away In A Manger”

Christmas is right around the corner and Ben & Rose are back with their take on a Christmas classic: “Away In A Manger”. It’s a lovely soft rendition with Jordan Davis and Mark Davis helping out on drums and bass, and producer Conrad Fisher adding guitar. I particularly like the addition of the fiddle by Jason Barie which gives the tune a rich warm lift….

A Place to Stay (Part 2): His Christmas Journey Begins

A Place to Stay (Part 2): His Christmas Journey Begins

Author and Amish taxi driver Haley Straw shares part two of a four-part Christmas series. It follows the true story of a young boy from Chicago, whose longing for warmth and belonging sends him on an unlikely winter journey toward an Amish community he’d only read about in a library book. This retelling draws from the original “Please Let Me Stay” account shared in a private…

Blaze Damages Popular Amish Greenhouse (Indiana)

Blaze Damages Popular Amish Greenhouse (Indiana)

This story comes out of the Amish community in Williamsburg, Indiana. Fortunately no one was hurt, but as you can see by the photo the greenhouse took significant damage. Aerial technology came into play to help firefighters knock out the blaze. More on that from the Richmond Palladium-Item: WILLIAMSBURG, IN — No injuries were reported after a fire damaged Country Side Amish Greenhouse on the…

An Amish “Victory”: Supreme Court Erases Lower Court Decision in School Vaccine Mandate Case, Orders Review

An Amish “Victory”: Supreme Court Erases Lower Court Decision in School Vaccine Mandate Case, Orders Review

News today: the Supreme Court has “erased” a decision against New York Amish parents who objected to vaccination mandates for children in Amish schools. The Amish refusal to comply following a 2019 change in New York state law resulted in three Amish schools being fined a total of $118,000. To this point, the Amish side had faced multiple losses in the case, with a federal…

One Woman’s Journey from English to Amish to Jewish

One Woman’s Journey from English to Amish to Jewish

An interesting story appeared recently about a young woman who has made an unusual faith journey: from a non-Amish Christian family, to joining an Amish community, and most recently to Judaism. Nechama Leapley grew up as Briana Leapley in a non-Amish (aka “English”) Christian home – though in an “Amish-sized” family: she was the oldest of seven children, described as “homeschooled and mostly isolated”. Her…

A Place to Stay: How One Child Found A Home Among the Amish

A Place to Stay: How One Child Found A Home Among the Amish

Author and Amish taxi driver Haley Straw is back with part one of a four-part Christmas series. It follows the true story of a young boy from Chicago, whose longing for warmth and belonging sends him on an unlikely winter journey toward an Amish community he’d only read about in a library book. This retelling draws from the original “Please Let Me Stay” account shared in…

Amish Father Shot & Killed During “Deer Drive” Involving 24 Hunters

Amish Father Shot & Killed During “Deer Drive” Involving 24 Hunters

An Amish father of two has died following a hunting accident in the mountains of Juniata County, Pennsylvania. The man was accidentally shot by another hunter while participating in a “deer drive” – a technique using two groups of hunters, where one group flushes deer out for others to shoot. More from WJAC: JUNIATA COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — A 26-year-old hunter is dead after another…

Man Pleads Guilty in DUI Wreck Which Killed 10-Year-Old Amish Boy; Might Get A Life Sentence

Man Pleads Guilty in DUI Wreck Which Killed 10-Year-Old Amish Boy; Might Get A Life Sentence

Anthony Miller was a 10-year-old boy living the life of an Amish child in his community in St. Joseph County, Michigan. But Anthony’s life was abruptly cut short, one year ago this week. On December 2, 2024, Logan Thomas, 30, driving a pickup truck at a claimed speed of 50-55 mph, plowed into a group of four Amish children on the roadside, one of whom…

Amish Couple Killed: Hit By Dump Truck That “Drifted” Into Buggy Lane

Amish Couple Killed: Hit By Dump Truck That “Drifted” Into Buggy Lane

Just an awful story out of LaGrange County, Indiana. A dump truck “drifted” off the road and onto the shoulder, hitting a buggy driven by an Amish couple in their 70s – killing both of them. Of note: what’s being called “the shoulder” here appears to be a full-fledged, wide “buggy lane” in the area where the incident happened (more on that below). From the…