How do the Amish light their homes? Without a public power connection, it’s not as simple as flicking a switch. But Amish do have a number of church-sanctioned ways to illuminate their houses. Like other technologies, lighting will vary across communities. 1. Propane or Natural Gas Lighting This is one of the most prevalent forms of lighting among the Amish (perhaps the most common today). Gas lighting can be…
On our recent list of five Amish publications you might like, we included the Plain Communities Business Exchange, a monthly paper for and about Amish and other Plain businesses. Today we have an interview with PCBE’s Carl Heule, who leads public relations for the publication. Carl shares what the PCBE is all about, who reads it, and his thoughts on a few of the more unusual Amish…
In the photos below, you can see the unusual sight of Lancaster-style clothing in the northern Indiana (Elkhart-Lagrange) Amish settlement. These Pennsylvania visitors were apparently in town for a wedding. First, you see some local families arriving, in Indiana-style clothing (with women in Lancaster-style clothing on the far right). Next, a mixed group: You can see that both men and women have different head coverings,…
The printed word – that is, actual ink-on-paper printed word – is still going strong among the Amish. As more and more of us consume media on electronic devices, Plain families across North America continue to get their news and other written information the old-fashioned way. It’s no surprise that there are scores of Amish-produced publications–in fact, one Amish publisher counted 50-plus subscription publications among his people. These include…
Is Amish quilting static, or does it change? Amish women Mary Stoltzfus Lapp and Hannah Stoltzfoos were separated by a generation or two, but each contributed her own special innovation to Amish quilting. Quilt historian Janneken Smucker shares what those innovations were below–plus the unusual example of an Illinois Amish family who created their own “wild, individual” style. — Amish Quilt Innovators We know of lots of examples of…
I’ve zoomed in below on a few chunks of this superb panorama photo shared by reader Mike Atnip (you might recall his previous panorama of the Meadow Mill School Auction). Mike describes this photo as “Lining up for the pony parade at New Bedford, Ohio.” The 15-minute parade, which you can see includes many Amish children as well as adults helping out, is part of the area’s…
How does Hutterite technology use compare to the Amish? What tech-related challenges do they face? Which two issues concern them about their children’s use of technology? Linda Maendel, member of a Manitoba Hutterite colony, adresses those questions today (if you’re new to the Hutterites, an Anabaptist people related to the Amish, you can catch up at these posts: Hutterite Overview | Life on the Colony | Language |…
Yesterday, Don Burke left a comment on the “5 Favorite Amish Foods” post that comes close to capturing my own feelings: “you’re looking at a guy that thinks that Amish baked goods should be it’s own food-group — the foundational (and largest) group of the food pyramid.” Well-said, Don, well-said 🙂 Which of course gets me thinking on Monday morning (the logical time to think cookies and cake,…
Michigan Live reports that an Amish toddler was killed on the road Wednesday in Hillsdale County. According to the Sheriff’s Office: a 56-year-old Pittsford, Mich. man was driving his 1999 Chevy S-10 pickup truck northbound on S. Bird Lake Road south of Tamarack Road when the child walked across the road at the crest of a hill. The 56-year old man stated he tried to swerve to…
Amish mark many of the same religious and secular holidays that other Americans do. But they also observe holidays that are not as widely celebrated. You’ll find five of them below (note: observance may vary between communities). 1. Ascension Day (40th Day After Easter Sunday) This day marks Jesus’ bodily ascension into heaven. It’s a movable holiday, dependent on the date of Easter Sunday. According to various sources including firsthand input from our…