The Amish-owned Rustic Ridge Variety Store burned to the ground back in April in a community in Lewis County, Missouri. While it’s hardly a surprise when an Amish community quickly gets on the job of cleaning up and rebuilding, this one seemed ahead of even a typical schedule. Less than a week later came news that the new store had already been framed and was…
An everyday bodily function is being blamed for a crash which has claimed the life of a 37-year-old Amish woman in Monroe County, Wisconsin. Here’s what happened, via WMTV: MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – One person has died and five others were injured after a driver’s “sneezing fit” caused her to crash into an Amish buggy last week, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. The…
An Amish family of seven suffered injuries, some of them serious, when a driver rear-ended their buggy Sunday night in Coal County, Oklahoma. The crash was dramatic – and the aftermath was as well. A trapped baby fortunately survived – but it very well could have ended up differently, according to the fire chief. Here’s more via the Ada News: Williams said it appeared a…
Martyrs Mirror, a massive tome telling the stories of 16th-century Anabaptist martyrs, along with earlier Christian ones, is one of the most important books in Amish homes. Now it’s getting a new translation – this time straight from the 1685 Dutch, replacing English that dates to 1886. Hat tip to Al in KY who brought this story in Anabaptist World to my attention. In it,…
Ben & Rose have put out a live version of the first song they released this year – “On Heaven’s Bright Shore”. It’s a simple song where Rose’s vocals really have space to shine. Ben and producer Conrad Fisher add nice backing vocals and understated guitar. This was recorded in front of an audience at Ragamuffin Hall. As far as I can tell, this is…
In last week’s post on the measles situation, I noted how there has been a lot of coverage dancing around the idea that Amish communities are undergoing measles outbreaks — but with little-to-no direct confirmation that measles was present in Amish communities. This was not really the fault of the news outlets reporting on the matter. In a number of cases, local officials understandably declined…
Earlier today, Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni confirmed that a 6-week-old Amish girl died due to measles. As Anne Garber of LNP | LancasterOnline notes, this is the first confirmed measles death in the US this year, and the first in Pennsylvania since 1991. Diamantoni told LNP | LancasterOnline that the girl was born with a genetic condition called Amish lethal microcephaly. The microcephaly…
An Amish woman was killed and two passengers in her buggy were flown to a Cincinnati hospital after a pickup truck struck the buggy from behind in Highland County, Ohio on Thursday morning. The crash occurred just after 8:30 AM on U.S. Route 50 in Paint Township. From the Wilmington News Journal: According to a preliminary investigation, a horse-drawn carriage operated by Melinda Coblentz, 49,…
To generalize for a moment: Amish children tend to leave a positive impression. Visitors come away remarking how well-behaved they are, how respectful they are when around adults, even how they can seem older than they actually are. The explanation you often hear is strictness. There’s something to that. Amish parents use traditional forms of discipline. But that’s not the whole story. There are other…
This Amish home in Conewango Valley, New York was listed in mid-August at $120,000. Two weeks later, the price has dropped into the five figures (current price revealed at the end – as is our custom on these home posts 🙂 ). If that sounds inexpensive, be aware we’re looking at one of the plainest of all Amish groups. That means very basic amenities –…