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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The 1965 Iowa Amish School Incident

The 1965 Iowa Amish School Incident

ByErik Wesner
20 Comments

The photo you see below, of Iowa Amish schoolchildren fleeing into a cornfield, was taken in 1965 by Des Moines Register photographer Thomas DeFeo and republished nationwide. It’s credited with spurring national support for the Amish, leading to the landmark Wisconsin v. Yoder 1972 Supreme Court decision (effectively allowing Amish to limit schooling to eight grades). The accompanying video features a number of other fascinating images taken at the time of the…

This Is Amish Country? 5 Surprising Places Amish Once Lived

This Is Amish Country? 5 Surprising Places Amish Once Lived

ByErik Wesner
41 Comments

Where do the Amish live? Places like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Indiana probably come right to mind. But they’ve also lived in some rather unusual locations. Here are some of the more surprising places Amish once called home. Primary sources include David Luthy’s The Amish in America: Settlements that Failed 1840-1960, and Steven M. Nolt’s A History of the Amish.  1. Paradise Valley, Mexico How…

Do the Amish really work harder than the rest of us?

Do the Amish really work harder than the rest of us?

ByErik Wesner
21 Comments

“Hard-working” is one of the positive stereotypes firmly attached to the Amish. We see barn-raisings, 4 AM milkings, and tending broods of half-a-dozen children or more, and it’s hard to suggest otherwise. But do the Amish actually work harder than the rest of us? Do they just work differently? Jim Cates explores these questions today with a look at how an Amish friend’s work differs…

Suzanne Woods Fisher: The Story of the Red Mutza

Suzanne Woods Fisher: The Story of the Red Mutza

ByErik Wesner
21 Comments

In her previous post on the Amish dress code, Suzanne Woods Fisher described some interesting nuances of Plain clothing, and explored the tailor background of Amish founder Jakob Amman. Today, Suzanne tells the story of an unusual coat that crossed the ocean with one Amish immigrant to America. The story below is excerpted from her new book The Heart of the Amish: Life Lessons on Peacemaking and the Power of…

Amish Foods: 5 Favorites Not To Miss

Amish Foods: 5 Favorites Not To Miss

ByErik Wesner
92 Comments

I must have been hungry when I decided to write about food here. Below you’ll find a list of my five favorite Amish foods, and why I enjoy them. Would any of these make your list? Favorite things I eat when visiting the Amish Now, we can debate what makes a food “Amish” or not. That’s not really the point of this post though. I’m using…

Merlyn Yoder: If Bees Used the Ausbund

ByErik Wesner
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As we’ve seen in his previous posts, Indiana Amishman Merlyn Yoder is an enthusiast of the Ausbund, the centuries-old hymnal Amish sing from in church. Merlyn also has a love for beekeeping. In today’s post, Merlyn describes an ideal visit to the hive, and imagines what it would be like if the bees he keeps had voices of their own. I love Merlyn’s creativity and sense of…

NY Amish Fear Prison Over Safety Triangle Conflict (UPDATED)

ByErik Wesner
81 Comments

Updated May 5, 2015 | Jump to update WNYF reports that Amish in the Swartzentruber community of St. Lawrence County, New York fear being sent to jail, due to a recent push by county legislators to require the Slow Moving Vehicle safety triangle on their buggies. But does the triangle really even improve safety compared to the current solution? Before touching on that question, a little…

5 Surprising Items Found in Amish Homes

5 Surprising Items Found in Amish Homes

ByErik Wesner
47 Comments

Previously we looked at common features in Amish homes – linoleum flooring, propane lighting, and the natural gas fridge, to name a few.  But what about the more unexpected things you might find in an Amish home? The five items below probably don’t come right to mind when you think “plain and simple.” The usual caveats apply: not everything seen here will be acceptable in every church. Some of…

The (Very Human) Amish Family

The (Very Human) Amish Family

ByErik Wesner
18 Comments

What would you do if the family pet started behaving badly–at the worst possible moment–at dinner in an Amish home? Jim Cates shares some humorous–and revealing–mealtime stories in today’s post on the importance of the Amish family. Are Amish and English families as different as we might think? Family: The Building Block of Amish Life Writer Nancy Mitford once said “The great advantage of living in a…

5 Points from Donald Kraybill’s “Amish Riddle” Talk

ByErik Wesner
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How do the Amish thrive in a hypermodern society? What life lessons has Donald Kraybill learned from them? Yesterday, Kraybill addressed these and other questions in his last major address before retirement. The talk, the keynote speech for Elizabethtown College’s “Scholarship and Creative Arts Days” (described here), was about “unpacking” Amish riddles both large and small. Lancaster Online’s Tim Stuhldreher was in attendance. Below are five points he picked up…