On certain things, essentially all Amish agree. Things like wearing plain clothing, not fighting in wars, or closing businesses on Sunday. These are universal across all Amish groups – part of a widely-shared culture, tradition, and belief system. Outlined in each church’s Ordnung are more specific rules and understandings, which will vary. There can be a lot of overlap, as well as variation, on…
How about another Amish singing video? This is another beautiful one from P. Thomas, from several months back, recorded with a number of other hymns. The venue is a New Order Amish youth group singing (likely in Ohio). New Order Amish tend to be more open when it comes to cameras, so we’ve seen a good number of recordings from them. Like others we’ve heard,…
I want to share with you an excellent documentary on the Amish communal practice of barn raising. In this film by Burton Buller, a barn has recently burned down in an Amish community (which looks to be Holmes County, Ohio). He films the entire process of the barn-raising, starting at the wee hours (4:45 AM) when the first helpers are just arriving. Interspersed with the…
Let’s take a look inside some Amish food and variety stores today. These stores are in the community at Kalona, Iowa (photos by Jim Halverson). Kalona itself is a sleepy-ish town lying next to one of the country’s oldest Amish settlements. Amish settlers first came here in 1846, even before there was a town. Today they number about 1,400 in 11 church districts. Within that…
This is an Amish home in the Berne, Indiana community (Adams County). This would be the largest group of the generally conservative “Swiss Amish”. Depending on when you read this, the home and farm you see here will soon find itself – or may have already found – a new owner. This is a home destined for auction, so there’s no big price reveal at…
From the Kansas City Star: A suburban Kansas City doctor for decades sexually assaulted women and girls, mostly from Amish communities, under the guise of performing routine breast and pelvic exams, prosecutors said Monday. David B. Clark, 70, of Independence, was charged with six felonies in Jackson County Circuit Court based on a long-running investigation led by the FBI. He is accused of assaulting patients…
All buggy accidents which lead to loss of life are tragic, but this one particularly so. An Amish buggy was rear-ended Wednesday afternoon by the driver of a pickup truck in upstate New York. Two very young Amish children died as a result. From WWNY: WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Jefferson County Sheriff Peter Barnett calls Wednesday’s fatal crash between an Amish buggy and a…
Jim Halverson shares a nice batch of photos from Yoder’s Consignment Auction – including a shot of the most expensive Amish buggy I’ve, and maybe you’ve, ever seen. Yoder’s Auction takes place twice a year not far from Shipshewana in northern Indiana. As you’ll see from Jim’s pictures, it draws quite a crowd. The latest event took place two Saturdays ago. First, come hungry, and…
This Michigan home for sale comes with a 100-tree peach orchard – and possibly even an Amish school building? More on that in a minute. The community is Pittsford, which is in Hillsdale County, home to four Amish settlements. It appears to be the community at Osseo going by the latest Amish community listings. Hillsdale County has a special place in my own personal Amish…
And not only rocks. Someone (or someones) is attacking Amish homes in the early morning hours, throwing dangerous objects through home windows. This has played out in a series of attacks on Amish residences in north-central Ohio over the past several months. From the report by News 5 Cleveland: MEDINA, Ohio — The Medina County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a string of crimes committed against…