In a recent article by Mary Swander, writing for the Iowa Capital Dispatch, she describes receiving an abruptly direct call from someone Amish. I found this of interest because it raises the question of whether the Amish could be described as more rude – or lacking manners – compared with your average Americans. And if so, why that might be. Here’s how it opens: “What…
I have to admit when I saw the headline of this story (“Driverless Amish buggy crashes in Watertown”), the first thing that came to mind were driverless cars. Had Amish in some under-the-radar settlement stealthily adopted battery-powered self-driving buggies when no one was looking? Some Amish absorb change faster than others…but that would be quite a leap. But of course, that’s not what this was….
As a low-tech group, how do the Amish cook and bake? Below I share several ways Amish prepare food (specifically, how they generate the heat for cooking & baking – if you’re looking for things like Amish recipes and food prep techniques, this is not that topic 🙂 ). As with many things, there can be a lot of variety in cooking methods across the…
This latest Amish home is found in a small community in Oklahoma, a state which has long had an Amish presence. This settlement is at Welch (Craig County), one of several small Amish locations in the Sooner State. This community was founded in 2010, and listed at just 80 residents, the departure of the family selling this home will represent a significant percentage drop in…
Here’s a nice recording by P. Thomas of a group of Amish youth singing the hymn “I Am On The Winning Side” somewhere in Ohio (I assume Holmes County). It’s been quite a while since I’ve shared an Amish singing video. This is a nice one for a return to the topic. This is a New Order group, who tend to be more open to…
If you caught part 1 on Enos Gingerich’s furniture shop last week, here is the promised part 2 video, where Enos shows us his tools, his power setup and how he makes furniture. This is about the plainest community you’ll find, and some of the solutions Enos uses wouldn’t be used by “higher” (more progressive) Amish, who would opt for more efficient ways to build…
We’ve got a nice look here at how Amish volunteer firefighters help their communities. The community here is at Farmville, Virginia. This growing community has roots in Lancaster County, which has a long-running tradition of Amish and other Plain people serving on fire companies. So it only makes sense that the Amish who’ve moved here continue that service in their sister (daughter) settlement. In this…
This is maybe the most commonly-asked question I’ve gotten in the weeks following the February 3 train derailment and chemical spill and burn in East Palestine, Ohio. This is is an area right on the border with Pennsylvania. There are a number of Amish communities in the region. Within the greater overall concern for the residents of the region, a number of people have been wondering…
I recently put out a video from my visit to Enos Gingerich’s outdoor furniture shop in the Swartzentruber Amish settlement at Ellenboro, NC. You might recall Enos from the video on my visit to his wife’s soap and lotion shop, previous posts on his community, or the video on southern accents among the Amish. In this video (below) I finally show you around his furniture…
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…