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.

LinkedIn
A Tennessee Amish “Prepper’s Paradise” Home (15 Photos)

A Tennessee Amish “Prepper’s Paradise” Home (15 Photos)

Into “prepping”? This Tennessee home might be just your thing. It’s being described as a “prepper’s paradise” in the listing. And it make sense to pitch Amish homes, especially the plainer ones (read: no bathrooms), as having prepper appeal. The home has a Lawrenceburg address, though that city is in the general vicinity of the Ethridge Swartzentruber Amish community. There is a second, much smaller…

Rebekah Byler Murder Case Update: Trial Postponed To Late 2024

Rebekah Byler Murder Case Update: Trial Postponed To Late 2024

This is not earth-shattering new information in the Rebekah Byler murder case. But, this is the first news we’ve seen since the court document release in March, so I wanted to bring you this update.  Shawn C. Cranston of Corry, PA was originally slated to be tried next month (June) for the killing of Byler and her unborn child. That trial has now been…

Have A Look At This $18,400 Amish Buggy

Have A Look At This $18,400 Amish Buggy

Ten years ago, we had a look at a $9,861 Amish buggy seen in a PA community. This one is nearly double that price. Conclusion: Inflation is hitting the Amish hard too! Well, maybe not just inflation. This buggy comes loaded with some flashy features (at least in Amish terms). So a chunk of the price tag likely reflects those add-ons. Remember this is something you…

Man Hits Amish Horse In The Dark, Survives

Man Hits Amish Horse In The Dark, Survives

This happened over the weekend in central Michigan. Via UpNorthLive: ISABELLA COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — A 65-year-old Blanchard man is recovering at the hospital after he was unable to avoid a loose horse in the roadway, hitting it with his car. The horse was killed in the crash. According to Michigan State Police, he was driving west on Blanchard Road around 5 a.m. Saturday morning…

Amish Donut Maker: Sorry, No Donuts For You This Year

Amish Donut Maker: Sorry, No Donuts For You This Year

This is the kind of local color story I always get a kick out of. Not that I’m excited that this particular community will go without their Amish-made donuts. Not that at all. It’s more how it shows how people value the products and experiences Amish people bring to their communities. The Power of Amish Donuts Amish in many places are renowned for their donuts….

Inside A Northern Indiana Amish Home (15 Photos)

Inside A Northern Indiana Amish Home (15 Photos)

Nice look today inside an Amish-owned home in the third-largest of all Amish settlements (Elkhart-LaGrange County, Indiana). This is one of the more progressive communities. So you’ll find the typical Amish touches – along with a bit more modern feel in this home (originally built in 1997). You can see that more progressive look right off the bat, with this exterior view. It’s the kind…

Is Isreal Easterday, Convicted For January 6 Attacks, Really Amish?

Is Isreal Easterday, Convicted For January 6 Attacks, Really Amish?

Is “Easterday” an Amish surname In Kentucky? Or anywhere else for that matter? I’m asking because of an unusual detail in a recent report which caught my eye. A 23-year-old man named Isreal Easterday was convicted and recently sentenced to two years in prison for a pepper spray attack on two Capitol police officers on January 6, 2021. He’s also said to have had a…

Amish Bishops Ask County For Help…Because Younger Amish “Think they’re invincible”

Amish Bishops Ask County For Help…Because Younger Amish “Think they’re invincible”

There’s a detail in this report on Amish buggy safety in Virginia that may be easy to overlook. At first glance, by the title (“Safety concerns continue for Amish, with state decision needed”) it sounds like just another meeting about buggy safety issues, and what to do about them. But in the text we learn this: Witt added that elders in the Amish community wanted…

A Windy Day At The Schoeneck Mud Sale (15 Photos)

A Windy Day At The Schoeneck Mud Sale (15 Photos)

I attended the Schoeneck (pronounced, I believe, “Shay-neck”) Fire Company Mud Sale this past Saturday. What a nice day for this kind of event. Not much mud in sight though, and a rather windy day. This photo doesn’t quite do it justice, but you can see the flags and the “Exit” sign being bent down by the gusts. I was there later in the afternoon…

Amish Ministers: How are they chosen? Why does no one want the job? (And More)

Amish Ministers: How are they chosen? Why does no one want the job? (And More)

In this video, Ben and I do a semi-deep dive on the topic of Amish ministers. I quite appreciated this conversation – it was a chance to get his answers to a lot of questions surrounding both choosing ministers, and the experience of being a minister, including: How Amish choose ministers What is “the lot“ Do Amish spouses know who the other has nominated? Ben’s…