 This is a little conversation I recorded with my friend, Ben, who belongs to an Amish church in Lancaster County. It’s the second part of the Q&A I did with my friend Ben in Lancaster County in June (here’s the first part, on Amish & auctions). In this recording, we’re in the car on the way over to a horse auction. Ben describes how…
This title is meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek. What I’m referring to though, is an interesting development brought to my attention by reader Al in KY. I’ve noted here in the past how the Elkhart-LaGrange and nearby Nappanee Amish settlements (first and third largest in Indiana) have essentially “grown together” in that their areas touch and overlap. For example: “Even in 2006, Amish settling…
From Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly: AUBURN — As the Amish community in southern DeKalb County continues to grow, the DeKalb County Commissioners are getting the jump on imposing a license fee for horse-drawn vehicles and horse-drawn trailers. The commissioners approved an ordinance on first reading Aug. 8 after a couple of months of discussion. The ordinance sets a yearly license fee, which goes back…
This Amish home is in the Crab Orchard, Kentucky community. One with more progressive notes but very cozy inside. Let’s have a look. Living room. Rustic cabin feel. That’s a serious-looking safe. Another thing I notice here is the hickory rocker. It’s something you’ll see in both plain and more materially-progressive homes. The plainer homes won’t have the stuffed furniture and recliners like this one…
I often get asked which Amish communities I recommend visiting. In total I’ve been to around 70 Amish communities, many of them multiple times. These are my favorites to return to.  Check out the video above for more images, and more on why I enjoy each. Or if you prefer to read, here are my favorite five: 1. Holmes County, Ohio So first of…
Tragic happening in York County, PA (the area across the Susquehanna which is considered part of the Lancaster County settlement). The York Daily Record gives an account of the accident, which happened Friday morning, and the community’s response thus far: Friday morning, Amos Stoltzfus dropped off some of his wife’s fresh-cut flowers at the Country View Market on Route 74, not far from their home…
The latest Amish population statistics have been released by the Young Center for Anabaptist & Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College. After looking over the numbers I can share that – no surprise here – the Amish population is larger this year than the last. The new estimated tally is 373,620, an increase of a bit over 12,000 over the past year.  This rate of…
How can you arrange a meal in an Amish home? We’ve covered this topic on this site before on numerous occasions – with a lot of good comments from people sharing their experiences. Amish restaurants (or “Amish-style” restaurants) are a more accessible option, but for those who want to put in a bit more effort, a meal in an Amish home can be a memorable…
I’d never heard of this one. But it’s apparently taken off in some Amish communities. Spikeball‘s rules are simple. It’s played in two teams of two. I won’t try to explain the game in depth here (this is what I watched to learn the rules). But essentially you have three hits of a ball, back and forth with your teammate a la volleyball. The object…
Last month I shared an update on the Swartzentruber Amish community at Ellenboro, NC, with photos of two stops at Amish businesses there (Gideon Hershberger‘s woodworking business and Enos Gingerich & wife Fannie’s furniture and homemade soaps businesses). I also put together two videos from that visit so far – one from Gideon’s woodworking place, and the second from the soaps shop. Visiting the Swartzentruber…