The Connection is one of numerous new Amish periodicals Amish readers have enjoyed a variety of new publications over the past few years. One of my favorites is called The Connection. The Connection is published out of Topeka, Indiana, and features a variety of columns and articles written by Amish from around the country (as well as a few non-Amish). Two things that makes this…
What a neat video today. Auctioneers have always fascinated me–their cadence of speech, command of a crowd, how they inject otherwise mundane transactions with excitement and immediacy. And Amish auctioneers doubly so. You’ll find no professional actors, musicians, or entertainers among Amish. But I’ve often thought that auctioneers are the closest to “show business” the Amish get. Getting up on stage, mic-ed up, all eyes…
You might think that Amish people would ride horseback often. After all, they certainly have much familiarity and experience with horses. Horses pull Amish carriages, and provide brute force on the farm, powering a range of farming equipment. Yet Amish rarely saddle up. Simply put, Amish riding horseback is not common. I see it from time to time, but it’s usually youth, mostly girls. You…
Northkill was an Amish settlement existing in Berks County, Pennsylvania in the 1700s. It was home to some of the earliest Amish settlers in the New World. It was also the site of a brutal massacre still recounted by Amish today. During the French and Indian war, Amishman Jacob Hochstetler’s home came under attack by Indians. Hochstetler famously restrained his sons from retaliating with gunfire….
I’m away from the computer for a couple of days, but have auto-posted some hat shop photos. The first is from the Nappanee, Indiana Amish community. Nappanee is the 3rd-largest Amish community in Indiana, and 6th-largest in the nation. There is also a small Old Order Mennonite community near Nappanee: You can see a few different styles here (notice the bottom row). And even more…
The FDA has taken legal action to stop Amish farmer Dan Allgyer from shipping raw milk across state lines, according to this article. This case against Allgyer has been going on for quite some time. Allgyer’s Lancaster farm was visited/inspected/raided by federal agents a year ago. Allgyer has been selling his milk in Maryland and DC, violating rules against interstate sales. His customers are said to be…
Lately we’ve seen many articles, books, and even TV programs about Amish leaving their communities. Below, a video interview of brothers John and Joe Yoder, who recently left their Texas Amish community. The Yoders’ former home is the only Amish presence in Texas, in the southern part of the Lone Star State. Why so much interest in former Amish? On the one hand, there is…
You might remember a photo a couple weeks back, of an Amish kitchen that some people found a bit on the fancy side? Today we have a shot of another room in the same Michigan home: This place looks like it has some nice spots for taking a nap. Just as long as those clocks aren’t too noisy. A close-up: Another Amish wall decoration: Special…
“We could probably build a better car than Detroit can. I will go out on a wing and say that. I honestly believe we could do that.” It’s not often you hear an Amishman make such a claim. But it almost makes sense – when you learn that the fellow who said this is from northern Indiana. Northern Indiana Amish are different than most Amish….
Last Friday Elin left a comment on the post “Do we romanticize the Amish?“: “I have read some of these books and enjoyed them but I have realized that the Amishness of the characters is not more than polish. They are often just stereotypical ‘good Christian’ wearing Amish clothes. They are the same characters as in the Christian inspired fairytales I had as a child…