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 Man Arrested With 25 Pounds of Marijuana, Guns, Cash

Amish Man Arrested With 25 Pounds of Marijuana, Guns, Cash

This is a bizarre story out of the Ethridge, Tennessee Amish settlement. A 33-year-old Amishman has been arrested for possession of 25 pounds of marijuana. Lawrence County police also seized firearms and an undetermined amount of cash. The report from News 4 Nashville (removed): LAWERENCE COUNTY, TN (WSMV) – Lawrence County police officers located 25 pounds of marijuana in the residence of an Amish Lawrence…

Amish Disaster Relief…At A Distance

Amish Disaster Relief…At A Distance

This is a neat video showing volunteers putting together pre-built homes right in the heart of Holmes County, Ohio – Charm, to be precise – but destined for families struck by disaster hours away, in West Virginia and Dayton, Ohio. Amish have traveled to the sites of disasters to help clean up and reconstruct for decades now. But this effort via Mennonite Disaster Service expands…

27 Photos of an English Amish Home (…English, Indiana)

27 Photos of an English Amish Home (…English, Indiana)

So yes, I couldn’t resist calling this week’s home an “English Amish” home. Not because it has some English (ie, non-Amish) origins, but because it’s located in the tiny Amish community at English, Indiana (Crawford County). Though I’ve never made the trip to visit, this settlement has been on my radar, so to speak, for awhile. The community was founded in 2008 but has not…

Fifteen Favorite Amish Country Images

Fifteen Favorite Amish Country Images

2024 UPDATE: Don Shenk passed away in late 2021. It was very kind of him to share a collection of his images with us, not long before he died. Originally published in October 2021, I’ve just updated this post with another five favorite images at the end, along with a few comments of mine. I hope you enjoy. Don Shenk’s Amish Photography Don Shenk is…

What the Amish Teach Us Book Winner & Release Today (Plus Podcast #4 on Forgiveness)

What the Amish Teach Us Book Winner & Release Today (Plus Podcast #4 on Forgiveness)

Following last week’s insightful Q-and-A with Donald Kraybill, we’ve got a winner of What the Amish Teach Us: Plain Living in a Busy World, his new book just released today. This book is unlike others Don has written – a series of 22 essays sharing things that he has learned from his friendships with Amish people and study of Amish life, spanning decades. Before we…

Yet Another Amish Teen DUI In This Pennsylvania Community

Sometimes I refer obliquely to certain Amish communities having a bad reputation for the behavior of their youth or as regards consumption of alcohol. Keeping in mind that Amish communities can be quite different, of course. In many communities, poor behavior from youth is not common or little-tolerated. And different communities have different approaches to alcohol. That’s all to preface the news of yet another…

Do Amish men dominate their wives?

Do Amish men dominate their wives?

Do Amish women have freedom in their marriages? Are they dominated by their husbands? What does “head of household” mean? Read on for some of my own observations on these questions – or check out the video above. Head of household Do Amish husbands control their wives? This is a bit of a sensitive question, I suppose. The Amish male is considered the head of…

Eight Children Left Orphaned After VA Buggy Crash

Eight Children Left Orphaned After VA Buggy Crash

Eight children were left without parents after the family buggy was rear-ended Sunday in central Virginia. From the AP: FARMVILLE — A Farmville man died Monday, a day after his wife was killed and their eight children were injured when their Amish horse-drawn buggy was rear-ended in Cumberland County, according to state police. The buggy was traveling south on Cumberland Road before 8 p.m. Sunday…

Donald Kraybill on What The Amish Teach Us: Q&A and Book Giveaway (plus: Podcast #3)

Donald Kraybill‘s new book What the Amish Teach Us: Plain Living in a Busy World will be out next Tuesday. What the Amish Teach Us features 22 essays on a wide array of important life topics, each drawing lessons from the Amish example. Topics include “Limits: Less Choice, More Joy”, “Parenting: Raising Sturdy Children”, “Hacking: Creative Bypasses”, “Patience: Slow Down and Listen”, and many more….

A New Wilmington, PA Amish Home For Sale (12 Photos)

A New Wilmington, PA Amish Home For Sale (12 Photos)

This latest Amish home for sale has a very simple listing. This is the New Wilmington, Pennsylvania Amish community, and the listing description at Zillow is just two lines long: Amish farm with 2 greenhouses and 1312 SF barn, 3 hydrants. No plumbing, electric, or sewer! The New Wilmington community is on the plainer side of things, as the no plumbing/sewer detail suggests. We previously…