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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Inside an Amish Mobile Home (And Horse Farm) – 32 Photos

Inside an Amish Mobile Home (And Horse Farm) – 32 Photos

Not all Amish live in farmhouses. In some cases they will live in mobile or prefabricated homes. This is not too common, but these are often starter properties for young couples. We had a look at another one that went up for sale in Ohio a couple of years ago. Today we take a look at another. And I should say the title of my…

Amish Help Save English Neighbors From House Fire

This is just a short report with not a lot of details, but worth posting under the “Feelgood News Files” heading 😉 (that doesn’t actually exist here but maybe it should). Unnamed Amish residents of Rossie, New York alerted their non-Amish neighbors Tuesday morning that their abode was ablaze. A chimney fire, to be precise. From wwnytv.com: Fire Chief Tom Conklin says when firefighters arrived,…

Mobile Post Office Serves Amish In Ohio

Mobile Post Office Serves Amish In Ohio

A service running for several years now makes the lives of Amish in one part of Ohio easier when it comes to handling postal business. A “Post Office on Wheels” brings postal services to the Amish where they live. The post office is already mobile in some sense for all of us, in that it does regular mail pickup and dropoff. So what’s the difference…

On Amish “Dentists”

Do the Amish have their own dentists? Well, not in the sense of the certified, licensed professionals that you think of when you think “dentist”. But they do have people who provide basic dental services in some communities. This basically boils down to pulling teeth – both the ones you can see, and wisdom teeth – and some who make dentures to replace those pulled…

Do Amish Live In Mexico? Belize?

Do Amish Live In Mexico? Belize?

From time to time you might see claims that Amish live in Mexico. However, this is not the case. There are no established Amish communities in the country. There was an Amish presence there, however, nearly 100 years ago. Amish lived in Mexico for about six years in the 1920s, having left Ohio due to issues over state school requirements. This is the only community…

Iowa Van Accident: Amish Community Shares Final Farewell With The Public

Iowa Van Accident: Amish Community Shares Final Farewell With The Public

A tragic van rollover accident in Iowa two weeks ago claimed the lives of young Amish father Ervin Borntreger, his one-year-old son, and two of his also very young nieces. Remarkably, the Amish community has allowed the Dyersville Commercial newspaper to publish an account of the funeral and even some photos. This article is noteworthy in that it gives us one of the closest looks…

“Utterly NOT an Amish Home!” (5 Myths In One Comment)

“Utterly NOT an Amish Home!” (5 Myths In One Comment)

So I got another comment on the YouTube channel that made my head spin a little bit 😀 The commenter claims that an Amish home I showed in the video “Inside an Amish Home” is “Utterly NOT an Amish home!” The commenter includes a list of five points why he/she thinks it’s not Amish, adding at the end that the video was “total bologna.” This…

Inside A South Dakota Amish Home (11 Photos)

Inside A South Dakota Amish Home (11 Photos)

This Amish home for sale got my attention, first and foremost, for it being in South Dakota. This is in the state’s only Amish community, founded in 2010. You don’t hear much on Amish in the state, for reasons I’ll explain below. There is a second property that was listed at the same time, so it could be that two families are moving away. Here’s…

Amish With Southern Accents?

Amish With Southern Accents?

I really enjoy all the various accents we have in American English – the regional dialects, quirky localisms, unique manners of speaking (this may be because I also apparently have an odd way of speaking 🙂 ). Amish in different communities have different accents and pronunciations when they speak English as well. When you compare English pronunciation in the Lancaster County Amish community with that…

Thinking About Stealing From The Amish? Think Twice

Thinking About Stealing From The Amish? Think Twice

Anyone out there planning to steal from the Amish, take heed (more on that below). Now, that notice is not meant for the vast majority of people reading this. But why am I writing about this? Well first – what prompted this post. Pennsylvania state police are reporting arrests in a burglary ring which allegedly targeted Amish properties. The ring apparently consisted of five teenagers…