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 Maid To Order”?

While this is not exactly an Amish business, Amish Maid To Order caught my eye because the name suggests it is. House cleaning is a pretty common side or main occupation for Amish women, both married and those not yet baptized. So I first thought this may be someone arranging housecleaning by Amish ladies. This is a Goshen, Indiana-based business, so right near a lot…

Amish Replace Historic Barn That Burnt Down (14 Photos)

Amish Replace Historic Barn That Burnt Down (14 Photos)

This barn-raising story has some history attached. In Amish history, the name Joseph Johns is noteworthy, as he was the founder of present-day Johnstown, Pennsylvania. An Amish crew has rebuilt a barn which burned down on Johns’ former farm, and which had been built by his grandson Joseph Johns III. You might be wondering both about the surname here and the idea of an Amishman…

The Amish & “Smallness” (Podcast)

The Amish & “Smallness” (Podcast)

Podcast #6 in Donald Kraybill’s series “What I Learned From The Amish” covers the idea of “smallness”. Via the show notes: “Professor Kraybill explains why the Amish think bigness ruins things and shows how small-scale life, including small schools, preserve the dignity of individuals.” In the podcast he explains that “smallness” is seen across Amish society – in everything from small egos to small congregations,…

“Hot water is wood fire”: Plain 5-Bedroom Amish Home For Sale (10 Photos)

“Hot water is wood fire”: Plain 5-Bedroom Amish Home For Sale (10 Photos)

Though this home has a Pennsylvania address, I would hazard to guess it is actually part of the community in Ashtabula County, Ohio, lying in the vicinity of Conneaut and Pierpont. The address happens to be a mere stone’s throw from the Ohio border. Here’s the Zillow description from which I got the title of this post: Large Amish built home with huge front porch!…

Tennessee Amish Drug Case Update (& Video)

Tennessee Amish Drug Case Update (& Video)

A few updates to last week’s news of an Amishman in the Ethridge, Tennessee community being caught with 25 pounds of marijuana. I also made a video on the story (below) which includes a number of the following points: The Amishman in question, Chris Appleby, was a convert to the group. According to this WKRN story, he arrived about seven years ago and joined the…

Amish Cook: Raising Well-behaved Children

Some years ago I did posts on Amish children & spanking, as well as discipline in general (including in Amish schools), both of which, not unexpectedly, got a lot of comments. It’s a topic which elicits strong responses and I doubt much has changed since then. In her recent column, Amish Cook Gloria Yoder takes up the question of children’s behavior. She shares some ideas…

Amish Buggy “Drifting” – Don’t try this at home (Video)

Amish Buggy “Drifting” – Don’t try this at home (Video)

This is another one of those Amish “novelty” videos that pops up from time to time, like those showing Amish buggy skiing or time-lapse barn-raising. This one is a bit different in that it had a pretty good chance of ending badly. Someone was apparently driving through Lancaster County late at night when a buggy came out of nowhere and entered the roadway in a…

Elam Stoltzfus on the History of PA Amish Parochial Schools: Part 1

Elam Stoltzfus on the History of PA Amish Parochial Schools: Part 1

Elam Stoltzfus shares Part 1 of a four-part series on Amish Parochial schools in Pennsylvania. Elam grew up Amish, and we’ve previously seen his work here in his 4-part “Rediscovering the Ausbund” series on the Amish hymn book. This will be published in full at the Plain Values magazine Substack (linked below). In this part, Elam shares his first day of school as an Amish…

Rare Happening: Car Strikes Buggy, Car Driver Injured….Buggy Driver Unhurt

Rare Happening: Car Strikes Buggy, Car Driver Injured….Buggy Driver Unhurt

It’s usually the other way around, of course. This happened in the New York North Country in the area of De Kalb (this is the large St. Lawrence County Swartzentruber Amish settlement). It appears a woman driving an SUV struck an Amish buggy, lost control, and flipped over on the side of the road, according to the WWNYTV report. This makes me wonder if she…

Amish Hackers (Podcast)

Amish Hackers (Podcast)

Here’s episode number 5 of Donald Kraybill’s “What I Learned From The Amish” podcast. This week he focuses on “Amish hackers” – Amish who “work around certain church regulations without breaking them”. These workarounds represent a form of progress but still respect church rules. Their hacking “boost[s] efficiency, production, and convenience in certain areas of Amish life.” These are the innovators of Amish society. He…