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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Truck Hits Buggy, Sending Two Amish Victims To Hospital (Ohio)

Truck Hits Buggy, Sending Two Amish Victims To Hospital (Ohio)

A car left a buggy looking pretty badly, as you can see in the above photo – in a crash which happened Wednesday in Ashland County, Ohio. Ashland County Pictures does a great job as usual reporting this with numerous photos of the accident scene. The driver of the buggy and a teenage passenger both went to hospital, with injuries described as “non-life-threatening”. This is…

Ben & Rose: “Roses In The Snow” (Full Song & Video)

Ben & Rose: “Roses In The Snow” (Full Song & Video)

We’ve heard this one before – but now there’s a video for it as well. In July Ben & Rose put out a short demo clip of “Roses In The Snow”, after which the studio version was released on their album “Slowly But Surely”. This song was made famous by Emmylou Harris and was written by Ruth Franks. It’s a short but sweet one with…

Yes, There Is Autism Among The Amish. But How Much?

Yes, There Is Autism Among The Amish. But How Much?

Do we find autism among the Amish? This topic has, predictably, been all over the news this week. That’s because of comments made by President Trump at a press conference on Tuesday. The most relevant bit of the conference was this segment (emphasis added): Donald Trump 00:03:07-00:03:36 (30 sec) “And the first day, all of these great doctors behind me were there, I told them…

70-Year-Old Amish Man in Hospital After Buggy Wreck; Sun Glare Likely A Factor in Crash (Michigan)

70-Year-Old Amish Man in Hospital After Buggy Wreck; Sun Glare Likely A Factor in Crash (Michigan)

Gladwin County, Michigan was the scene of another buggy accident yesterday. An older Amish man was sent to the hospital after his buggy was hit. Fortunately his injuries are described as “non-life-threatening”. More from Mid Michigan Now: GLADWIN COUNTY, Mich.— On September 24th around 7:15 p.m. the Gladwin County Sheriff’s Office were called to investigate a personal injury accident involving a pickup truck and an…

Amish Finish Final “Tiny Home” For NC Hurricane Victims – But Work Continues

Amish Finish Final “Tiny Home” For NC Hurricane Victims – But Work Continues

The Amish and Mennonite outreach to hurricane victims in North Carolina has been well-documented in the media. We’ve looked at several examples here – such as their work in Bat Cave, NC, or their efforts in the heavily-damaged tourist town of Chimney Rock. Plain groups have been an essential part of a wider effort (not to ignore the many contributions of non-Plain volunteers) to help…

Feel Good: Amish Serve Dinner To Raise Money For Firefighters (Michigan)

Feel Good: Amish Serve Dinner To Raise Money For Firefighters (Michigan)

And not just dinner. They also put on an auction in support of their local volunteer firefighting force. The event was held at an Amish farm in Quincy, Michigan – the Jake Steury family farm. More from the Coldwater Daily Reporter: QUINCY TWP., MI — The Amish communities in Quincy and Butler townships served up a chicken dinner, then auctioned off items Friday, Sept. 19…

Scenes From A Big Amish Auction (15 Photos)

Scenes From A Big Amish Auction (15 Photos)

These were taken at Yoder’s Consignment Auction, a big Amish-heavy event in northern Indiana. It’s held twice annually – the second Saturday in April and in September – not too far from Shipshewana, IN. Jim Halverson was in attendance and shares some excellent photos (which, if you’ve been here awhile, you know is par for the course for Jim). This was the simple “Sale Order”…

Ben & Rose Short Clip: “Slowly But Surely” (Live – In The Kitchen)

Ben & Rose Short Clip: “Slowly But Surely” (Live – In The Kitchen)

Here’s a neat little clip of Ben & Rose’s breakout song, their cover of Dolly Parton’s “Slowly But Surely”. This time they’re playing it live “in the kitchen”, in what looks like a relaxing, no-shoes-necessary session 🙂 This is another short one, at just 20 seconds long. So they just get through a couple of lines. But enjoy nonetheless: You can listen to the full…

Inside A Picture-Perfect Pennsylvania Amish Home (22 Photos)

Inside A Picture-Perfect Pennsylvania Amish Home (22 Photos)

While the exterior is on the plain side (it’s a plainer community), and a bit unfinished…the interior of this Pennsylvania Amish home is simply picture-perfect. The community is New Wilmington, PA, where we’ve gone for several previous looks at Amish homes. You’ll see as we look inside the home lots of the characteristic shades of blue common to this community. The settlement is also known…

Amish Farmer On Ventilator – After Being Hit By Pickup Truck (Lancaster County) UPDATE: Omar Is Off The Ventilator

Amish Farmer On Ventilator – After Being Hit By Pickup Truck (Lancaster County) UPDATE: Omar Is Off The Ventilator

This happened at the beginning of the month – though this is the first time I’m seeing it reported on. An Amish farmer and father of five was struck by a pickup truck while walking home in Lancaster County, PA – leaving him in what sounds like quite bad shape. CBS 21 is picking up reporting on this, following a GoFundMe that has been started by a…