The Coshocton Tribune and Indianapolis Star recently published a series of stories on the deer farming industries in Ohio and Indiana. Amish people figure prominently in a number of the articles. The first is about an Amish craftsman putting deer antlers to a creative use. Amish-Made Deer Antler Pens Some have wondered what Amish deer farmers do with the animals they raise. The answer: a variety…
You may have heard the term affiliation used to describe this or that Amish group. So just what is an “Amish affiliation”? Broadly speaking, affiliations describe groupings of Amish churches of similar practice, identity, and lifestyle.  The best discussion of Amish affiliations I’ve come across is in Chapter 8 of The Amish by Donald Kraybill, Karen Johnson-Weiner, and Steven Nolt. The authors describe the concept:…
South Dakota has had a spot on the Amish map since 2010, when a handful of families from Wisconsin settled near Tripp in Hutchinson County. One of our contributors, Tom Geist, recently shared a little on his visit to the Tripp Amish community. Tom writes: I was lucky enough to travel to Tripp, South Dakota on March 12th 2014. They now have 9 families there,…
Two Saturdays ago the Airville Volunteer Fire Company held their annual mud sale. Airville is a small community lying in southeastern York County.  Due east across the Susquehanna River you’ll find the southern Lancaster County Amish population including communities around Holtwood and Quarryville. The Airvile Fire Company has posted a fun batch of photos via its Facebook page. You can see some of them here, but…
The Amish community at Kalona, Iowa is the ninth-oldest, having been founded in 1846 by Amish from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. By what we see in the first photo below, that would predate the founding of the town itself by over 30 years. This community permits a relatively high level of technology in the Amish world, including tractors used for field work. There is a…
Bonnet Strings: An Amish Woman’s Ties to Two Worlds is the new memoir by Saloma Miller Furlong.  You might know Saloma from her blog, previous book Why I Left the Amish, or more recently, from the PBS film The Amish: Shunned. In today’s interview, Saloma discusses topics including Bonnet Strings, her former community, and The Amish: Shunned. Bonnet Strings 2-Book Giveaway Saloma and Herald Press are…
Following our look at Adams County Amish household items, some photos illustrating life around this traditional Swiss Amish community. The Adams County settlement is the fifth largest of all, with around 8,000 Amish residents. Â A special thanks to our contributor who shares comments in addition to his photos below. We typically see these types of water coolers inside the house, providing the family with drinking…
Actually, it’s a “workshop and equipment shed” raising, but that’s not quite as catchy, is it? Â Either way, the Amish of Union Grove, North Carolina have been busy on a construction project the past few days. The proprietors of Hickory Nut Gap Farm, a business which sells specialty beef and pork near Asheville, opted for the services of the state’s only Amish community, hiring a…
Two works of historical fiction based on the story of Jacob Hochstetler have hit bookshelves over the past month. The first, Jacob’s Choice by Ervin Stutzman, we heard about a few weeks ago. Today we have a Q & A with Bob Hostetler and J.M. Hochstetler, authors of Northkill. Northkill Giveaway Two copies of Northkill are available for Amish America readers to win.  To enter, just leave…
Lancaster County’s mud sales are in swing, with Bart Township Fire Company holding its event this past Saturday. One of our readers, Lauren Futch, attended, and shares some photos. Â The comments below are hers as well. Thanks Lauren! Outside auction activities. The quilt auction sold over 300 quilts throughout the day. The 50th anniversary quilt. I believe it sold for around $1,000. …