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 A “Charming Off-Grid Amish-Built Home & Farm” (28 Photos)

Inside A “Charming Off-Grid Amish-Built Home & Farm” (28 Photos)

One thing I like about doing this Amish Homes series is the variety of homes we get to see. Compare what you’re about to see with the last one we covered, a Lancaster Amish shop home. This week’s Amish home is found in Michigan. The description via realtor.com: At the end of W. 11 Mile, you will find this charming off-grid Amish built home and…

More Amish Voices

More Amish Voices

Back in May we heard from Brad Igou on Amish Voices Volume 2: In Their Own Words, 1993-2020, a collection of writings from the Amish publication Family Life, which Brad compiled. Brad also shared some unused selections at that time. Today we’ve got another batch of writings that didn’t quite make it into Amish Voices 2. As Brad explained, choosing which ones to include and…

Meeting Mrs. Miller

Meeting Mrs. Miller

If you have Amish friends or acquaintances, you might just have a strong memory of how you met them. I can clearly recall the morning years ago I met one Amish couple who eventually became close family friends. Their oldest child – who was then just a tot in a baby seat perched on the back of a horse-drawn planter – is now out of…

Inside A “Modern Cozy” Lancaster County Amish Home (22 Photos)

Inside A “Modern Cozy” Lancaster County Amish Home (22 Photos)

The home we’re going to look at today will probably have some people saying “that’s not an Amish home!” Well, it happens to be one. It’s just one of the more modern-looking homes (at least inside) you’ll see among the Amish. That said, the interior style you’ll see here is becoming increasingly common among Amish in more progressive communities, like Lancaster County, where this home…

Check Out What’s In This $3 Amish Auction “Junk Box”

Check Out What’s In This $3 Amish Auction “Junk Box”

Reader Denise Joyal sends a report from a benefit auction which took place in May in Hopkinton, Iowa. While there, Denise purchased a $3 “junk box” – and by the looks of what was inside, she got a great deal! Let’s check out what three Washingtons can get you at an Amish auction these days. First, here’s the newspaper ad for the auction. It was…

Amish & Mennonites Among Victims in $32 Million Fraud Case (UPDATED – “Charity 1” Identified)

Amish & Mennonites Among Victims in $32 Million Fraud Case (UPDATED – “Charity 1” Identified)

In what looks like another affinity fraud scheme targeting Plain Anabaptist people, the Department of Justice is seeking the arrest of a man who collected over $30 million over a decade-long span – telling donors the money was for Bibles and other Christian literature to be distributed in China. Jason Gerald Shenk allegedly got at least some of his money (and perhaps most of it)…

One Million Amish By 2050?

One Million Amish By 2050?

The Amish population is growing fast. It’s been growing fast for decades. And that doesn’t seem to be changing. How large will the Amish population get in our lifetimes? On the recent 1950s Amish film post, Lance left a comment that brought this back to mind: In 1900 there were just 5000 total Amish world wide. By this video’s filming, there were 8000 in just…

Look Back In Time: A 1950s Film on the Amish (10 Observations)

Look Back In Time: A 1950s Film on the Amish (10 Observations)

What was Amish life like 65 years ago? Last week I came across a documentary called, simply, “The Old Order Amish”.  This was filmed in Lancaster County and was just recently uploaded to YouTube. It’s on the Periscope Films channel, a company that preserves rare and obscure old films. It’s a fascinating nugget from the past and I recommend watching (it’s viewable at the end…

Runaway Buggy Caught On Camera…Unidentified Man Saves The Day

Runaway Buggy Caught On Camera…Unidentified Man Saves The Day

We’ve noted a lot of runaway Amish buggy stories over the years (most recently in upstate New York), but I don’t believe we’d seen actual video of one before. Until now. A clip shared on a story at the Edmonson Voice (Brownsville, KY) shows footage recorded by someone in a line of traffic behind the buggy. It also shows the bold soul who eventually brought…

Montana Amish Help English Neighbors Restore Washed-Out Road

Montana Amish Help English Neighbors Restore Washed-Out Road

The Amish community in Musselshell County, Montana is one of ten in the state. It is part of a rise in interest by Amish in Montana, one of a half-dozen new settlements created there since 2015. Like most if not all Amish settlements in the Treasure State, this community qualifies as “remote”. It lies near the town of Roundup, so named due to it being…