How is the average Amish woman different from her non-Amish counterpart? This article was inspired by a reader request. This list shouldn’t be read as a critique. As I note below, these differences reflect realities of Amish culture and community. Important: of course, I’m necessarily generalizing here – both about “modern” women, and the Amish. There are definitely some non-Amish women who would fit the…
We’ve had a number of looks at off-the-beaten path Amish communities lately, from the new settlement in northeastern Vermont to the Garnett, Kansas community to the Unity settlement in Maine. Today, reader Jerry takes us to another in that category–a community tucked away in an unusual valley in the southwestern end of Virginia. The following is Jerry’s account of his trip to the Burke’s Garden…
Wild youth behavior is a reality for some English adolescents, and for a segment of Amish youth as well. Jim Cates returns with a look at those youth–some of whom soon find themselves in quite different circumstances. Not Your Mama’s Amish Long before Wal-Mart discovered that “Back in Black” was a catchy musical backdrop for its television ads, the youngie in Topeka, Indiana were regularly blasting…
What happens at an Amish funeral? In today’s post, Rebecca Miller shares an account of a funeral which took place in her community. Rebecca is a member of an Old Order Amish church in Holmes County, Ohio. She is a schoolteacher, and also works at the Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center (Berlin, OH). Over the past couple of months, Rebecca has kindly offered her knowledge of her…
A recent story on Vermont Public Radio suggests Amish are starting a new community in Vermont, a state with no other Amish presence. From the article on the Orleans County town of Brownington: At the other end of the village, Amish families are starting to move from Pennsylvania into this unlikely melting pot in the Northeast Kingdom. And: As you weave your way through tree-lined dirt…
We received dozens of questions in our recent “Ask an Amish Person” post, covering everything from gardening to child discipline to challenges and rewards of being Amish. Indiana Amishman Merlyn Yoder has responded to a good chunk–about 17 of them–below. We’re calling this “part 1” as I’m hoping we’ll receive further responses, if Merlyn’s schedule allows. But either way, a big thanks to Merlyn for his efforts here….
Did you know that a number of Amish call Maine home? Among the handful of settlements in the Pine Tree State are the Amish at Unity, Maine (Waldo County), an atypical group for several reasons. Everything I’ve heard about this community suggests it’s a nice little place with a few businesses and which seems to be quite friendly to outsiders (that of course is not what makes it unusual). All images…
Are you planning to visit an Amish community? What are some things to keep in mind when you go? In today’s post we look at five tips that you might find helpful. I realize people are in different situations–some of us have visited Amish communities many times, while others have not but may be planning to. This post assumes you are visiting as an outsider without…
More Than Happy: The Wisdom of Amish Parenting (by Serena Miller and Paul Stutzman) has actually been out a few months already. We took a brief look at this book in a previous post (“Are Amish Children Happier?“). I should say I’m not surprised to see a “how-to” book on Amish parenting. I’ve always thought this would be an attractive topic, given outsiders’ positive impression of…
I’ve been fortunate to spend up to two months at a time living in Amish homes. In my “regular life”, I don’t live anything like an Amish lifestyle. So that comes with both its challenges and blessings. Last week I wrote about the hardest things about living with the Amish. This week, as promised, let’s have a look at the five best things. The Five Best…