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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Amish Buggy Crash (With Weird A.I. Illustration?)

Amish Buggy Crash (With Weird A.I. Illustration?)

I know AI content is showing up everywhere now. I’ve seen it used for some Amish-related content already. But this is the first time I’ve seen artificial intelligence illustrating an Amish buggy crash.  First, the more serious part of this story, the actual crash (via KTTN). Sadly, it is another bad-sounding buggy accident, this one in Missouri: The collision happened when the Ford Escape…

“Amish babies take a little longer” – Ben Answers Humorous Questions on Amish Weddings & Finding Wives

“Amish babies take a little longer” – Ben Answers Humorous Questions on Amish Weddings & Finding Wives

Here’s another video in my series with Ben (previous video – “Do Amish Believe They’re The Only True Christians?” here). In this one, he answers a question about Amish marriages. A viewer asked the following: You made a comment about Autumn being the wedding season for the Amish people. I’m not trying to be sarcastic or funny, but is it so they will have their…

Charged: Twin Sister Tried To Take Blame For Amish Children’s Crash Deaths (Updated)

Charged: Twin Sister Tried To Take Blame For Amish Children’s Crash Deaths (Updated)

Formal charges now assert that the driver of the vehicle which killed two Amish children in Minnesota last autumn was not in fact the woman – Sarah Petersen – who claimed responsibility. According to new charges, the driver was her twin sister Samantha Petersen, as suspected at the time. Drug tests have also confirmed that Samantha had several drugs in her system at the time…

One Million Amish

One Million Amish

The current Amish population stands at around 385,000 people, based on estimates from the Young Center at Elizabethtown College (or perhaps a bit more than that, since they came out several months ago). Personally, it’s remarkable to look back and consider how much the Amish have grown in the time I’ve known them. In fact, I came across an old post the other day where…

Do Amish Believe They’re The Only True Christians?

Do Amish Believe They’re The Only True Christians?

I recently sat down with my friend Ben Riehl for a couple of extended conversations on a wide range of topics (more to come). Ben is Old Order Amish, living in Lancaster County. You might remember Ben from previous posts on Amish auctions and how he chooses a horse. So in this clip, a YouTube viewer asked: “Do you know if the Amish believe they…

Inside A Simple Amish Home – For Just $102,000 (15 Photos)

Inside A Simple Amish Home – For Just $102,000 (15 Photos)

This Amish home is found at Tionesta, Pennsylvania. I hadn’t heard of the town and really had no guess where in the state it might be. It turns out this community is in Forest County, in northwestern PA. And it is a well-established settlement – founded in 1972, with a total of three Amish churches today. Northwestern Pennsylvania is a region with numerous Amish settlements…

Michigan Woman Steals Horse-And-Buggy While Family Shops In Wal-Mart

Michigan Woman Steals Horse-And-Buggy While Family Shops In Wal-Mart

Following last week’s story of a knife-wielding Michigan man threatening Amish, another strange incident out of the Wolverine State. It turns out parked Amish buggies (and their horses) are targets for thieves – at least for one individual in Sturgis (St. Joseph County). From The Sturgis Journal: STURGIS — An Amish horse and buggy was recovered shortly after being reported stolen from the Sturgis Walmart…

Michigan Man (Finally?) Arrested After Amish Knife Threats

Michigan Man (Finally?) Arrested After Amish Knife Threats

A Michigan man has been arrested for threatening violence against an Amish family, while equipped with a large knife. But when you actually read this story, you’ve got to wonder why it took so long. The incident occurred in Manistee County, though the man is said to be from Clare (also home to a significant Amish population). From upnorthlive.com: On Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, a husband…

Amish Samaritans Rescue SUV From Ditch (Updated)

Amish Samaritans Rescue SUV From Ditch (Updated)

In the time-honored tradition of neighbor helping neighbor, Amish came to the rescue yesterday, after snowfall in Tennessee caused an SUV to plant itself in a ditch. From WKRN: LAWRENCE COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — There’s horsepower and then there’s HORSEpower. During Monday’s major snowfall across Middle Tennessee, many good Samaritans lent a helping hand to drivers who were stuck in the muck. An SUV ended…

Visiting The New Emma’s Popcorn | Lancaster County (17 Photos)

Visiting The New Emma’s Popcorn | Lancaster County (17 Photos)

You might recall our visit to Emma’s Gourmet Popcorn back in 2022. At the time I was told they’d be moving to a new location. And Emma’s has in fact gone big, opening up in a new building closer to the heart of the community. This is the original video, from the previous, smaller location, if you missed it:  Comparing that to what you’ll…