On a recent post reader Jim S commented: “Would love to read a more in-depth treatment of the Amish.” Jim Cates and Rich Stevick replied with some good suggestions. I’d like to chime in as well. The past few months, I’ve been building a huge guide to my favorite non-fiction books on the Amish (also linked at “Good Books” up there on the right in the main menu). On the list you’ll find 27…
Besides Christmas, how often do you give someone a card? Amish have been known to send all types of cards, including sympathy cards, Christmas cards, and Valentine’s cards. That also leaves aside the practice of letter-writing, which flourishes in many Amish homes (and while on the subject, we can’t forget the clever way some Amish create envelopes). One happy occasion perfect for card-sending is the arrival of a baby. Our…
The atypical Amish community at Pearisburg, Virginia (Giles County) has been described as “unique”. I’ve never been there, but we’ve heard a lot about Pearisburg–the oldest of Virginia’s half-dozen Amish settlements–from readers and contributors over the years. First, Rich Stevick has shared about this mountain settlement a few times. How about this unusual courtesy for non-Amish visitors: Several years ago at a wedding in Pearisburg, VA, we had the…
What goes up, must come down. And if it’s a barn you have in mind, the Amish might be able to help you. We’ve witnessed a lot of barns rising skyward thanks to Amish. Here is one heading in the other direction. An MLive.com photo essay tells the story of this job, which took place near Sparta in west-central Michigan. The English owner is actually dismantling the over-100-year-old…
If you missed it, Serving the Amish author James Cates answered your questions in the comments section of our previous post. I’ll share a couple of them here (plus three of my own at the end of this post). First, from Loretta: Amish often have large families and children are considered a blessing from the Lord. What I haven’t understood is why it is hush-hush…
I think we can include the classic Amish kick scooter as one of those icons of the Amish, along with the horse-and-buggy, hand-stitched quilt, straw hat, and so on. Even though many Amish don’t really use scooters (e.g. Amish in a lot of Midwestern communities), they are closely connected with the Amish in Lancaster County, where they’re visible everywhere. And with Lancaster Amish the most…
To hopefully close the book on an awful story, the Lancaster County man who shot and killed an Amish-owned horse has been given 1-2 years in prison, plus probation (hat tip to commenter City Slicker): According to testimony at Diggs’ March preliminary hearing, Diggs was a passenger in his own car when the horse was shot last Nov. 24 in East Lampeter Township. Horse owner Levi Lapp was driving…
Not a lot of information to this article, but I think it’s worth passing along anyway. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, two Amish families from Ontario recently spent time searching for a new home on Canada’s Prince Edward Island: Anthony Wallbank is a friend of several members of Ontario’s Amish community, and drove some of them to the Island to look at farm properties….
We’ve looked at Amish participation in Pennsylvania fire companies before. And each year mud sales are held throughout Lancaster County to support those companies, which are known for their heavy Amish makeup. But did you know that some Amish in New York also serve as volunteer firemen? According to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Amish are members of two fire companies in western New York, in Ovid and…
My first Amish trip of 2014 happened last week. I made a short visit to one of only two Amish communities in North Carolina, the Union Grove settlement. (Note: see update at end of post for the latest on NC Amish). The Union Grove community includes both Union Grove and Hamptonville addresses (Iredell and Yadkin counties). This is the western part of the state, about…