The familiar yellow buggy warning sign tells drivers “Amish ahead”. But there is no standardized design. So the signs you see can vary.
Below, twelve examples of Amish buggy warning signs you’ll find across America – and one from outside our borders.
From Dauphin County, near Elizabethville, Pennsylvania. Dauphin County is home to a sizeable Lancaster Amish daughter settlement.
Taken near the aptly-named Plainville, New York.
Another New York Amish sign, from near the town of Meridian. Nice wheels!
Cindy Seigle finds a similar design in southern Indiana. I would call this a very artistic rendition of an Amish buggy. I think Cindy is right when she says these look like tractor tires.
Signs in one area can vary. This one is from the same southern Indiana community (Orange County)…
…as is this uncharacteristic square sign. Notice the 3-D effect with the buggy wheels.
By the way I wish I could have found a sign from Allen County, Indiana. Signs in that community depict an open horse-drawn vehicle, the only kind permitted by Allen County Amish.
Signs in the Arthur, Illinois Amish community let you know how long to expect buggy traffic.
This unidentified sign has an interesting design.
One from the Jamesport, Missouri Amish community.
Photo taken near a Minnesota Amish community outside the town of Prosper.
A buggy warning meets a pedestrian crossing sign in rural Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
And a different style, from neighboring Holmes County.
Finally, an unusual sign from the country of Belize. Belize is the only Central American country where English is considered the official language. Donald Kraybill’s Concise Encylopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites notes that a few conservative Mennonite groups exist in the country, including horse driving Old Colony Mennonites as well as Hoover Old Order Mennonites.
We’ll try to update this post with new signs. If you have any to add, feel free to email them to me at ewesner@gmail.com. Or you can post them directly to the Amish America Facebook page.
Photo credits: PA-Lindi&Jason; NY-Audrey Bendus and Arthur Chapman; IN-Cindy Seigle; IL-Castaway in Scotland; unidentified-shelleylyn; MO-Ido Genealogy; MN-Tony Case; Belize-furrypurplefeet
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I love the Belize sign.
Belize looks more like an Amish rick-shaw
Didn’t see one for St. Mary’s County, Maryland … and do they issue 3-D glasses to view the 3-D sign? Enjoyed the signs!
Pretty cool. I wonder if they will standardize the signs across America someday? I recognize the sign for Arthur, its on 133 heading east into Arthur. Drive by it every time I go down there.
Erik, sorry I have been missing a few days. Have had my hands full with this weather, power outages and shoveling. I’m beat. Was suppose to finish up shoveling today but not sure I can do it. Bitterly cold wind chill this morning too. Think I will just rest and recover today and not worry about the rest of the shoveling, LOL
Blessings, Alice
I agree Katie–of all the horses here, the Belize horse is the most determined–I detect even a bit of a strut there 🙂
Alice glad you are back and got power back on I assume. You were inadvertently Amish for a little while there. From the amount of snow you’ve gotten, I know you have your hands full!
Robin I’ll see if I have one for St. Mary’s County, I really didn’t do a thorough scan of all my photos. And yes they do issue glasses for the 3-D signs, they also make the horse look an odd blue 🙂
I’m going to try to get out and take some pictures today Erik and post them on my blog later. Its been an interesting couple of days. But I have been through much worse.
Good to have power back on though. Although I was prepared for a long duration without it. A few years ago when we had a bad ice storm, several folks in town were without power for 2 weeks. I kept several people in the neighborhood fed and with coffee.
We all had electric stoves but I also have a small wood burner in the basement that had a two burner top. Made lots of soups and things like that, LOL. Also cooked on the BBQ grill. Wish I had that wood burner in this house, LOL.
Blessings, Alice
Very interesting!
I always felt sorry for the folks that had to ride in those open-top buggies. (Swiss Amish-Salem,IN) Gotta be cold in the winter and hot in the summer!
Erik, you are too funny! Also, there are Amish in Western Maryland. Now, I want to see that blue horse! 🙂
Erik, I live near Plainville NY and I was not aware of an Amish settlement near there. Do you know their affiliation? The closest Amish settlement that I am aware of is the Mose Miller Swartzentruber settlement near Pulaski/Williamstown NY in Oswego County (one district). I find it amusing that the signs around Pulaski look like the sign near Meridian (second photo)….the Swartzentrubers would never use rubber tires!
When I was a missioanry in Honduras (close to 20 years ago now) it was not unusual to see both horse and burro traffic, sometimes with carts. Not Amish – just country people coming into town or headed home from the big agricultural markets where they sold their crops.
I live near Canandaigua, New York which is near Gorham where many Mennonites live that drive buggies. One day I was driving Main Street in Canandaigua and one of the city parking lots was filled with horse and buggies. I don’t what they were all in the city for, but there they were. I wish I had had my camera with me.
Out in Gorham they should have more buggie signs. That’s where I almost hit that couple that time. They have very few signs just on the main roads, which does no good for the back roads where people like to drive. I like to drive out there and see the farms, horse and buggies, people, etc. But some people drive out there like a bat out of – well-you know where and aren’t the least bit careful. Maybe signs would jingle their minds.
Marilyn in New York
Hey folks, just got back home, and the weather is so nice outside. Im glad your power is back Alice, i remember the black-out of 1977 in New York city and that was the worst ive ever experienced in my life. Does anyone remember that black-out?. I should be getting my digital camera delivered this fri, so ill try and send you a few pictures Erik of Lebanon countys Amish community, and if you like any of them you can post them as needed. ill also be posting some on a reg basis on my blog, so im looking foward to having my own pictures.Now id better go and let that ground hog out of his room so he can make me a sandwhich, and maybe wash my car. And yes Eric i just found out that hes got a sweet tooth for un-paid bills, and boy do i have a feast for him to chop on with his little ground hog teeth. Im kidding folks, i pay my bills which is why my credit rating is 235, not bad, right. Richard. Lebanon,pa
When in 77 was the blackout Richard? I was in South Korea for the first half of the year. I remember my mom complaining about all the snow at the time I was in shorts and playing volley ball outside, LOL. The second part of the year I was up near Albany for it. But I do remember several blackouts in NY state growing up. Some in the summer and some in the winter.
Alice
Hey Alice, it was in the summer of 1977. I was living in the Bronx at that time. Little did i know, i was being groomed for greatness and was about to start a blog 34 years later. I just want to share with the world, thats all i ever asked for,lol. Richard
Anyone out there know how much ground hog pelts are going for, im working on having some available very soon, but id better wait until phil makes dinner first. Richard
I remember the lights out in New York in 1967. That was my Senior Year in High School. Our house didn’t go out, but they had to close the schools because it did in most of the city including the schools.
Marilyn in New York
In 1967 i was what they call alittle baby miracle, a sweet kid really, but i was much too young to have remembered that blackout.speaking of blackouts, if i dont get another sandwhich my little fury ground hog friend is about to get knocked out in a min.Richard. Lebanon,pa
I am not sure if I remember the one in 77 or not but I do remember the one in 67. That one hit a good portion of the state. I was a youngun but I loved it. Thought it was cool to have the lights go out. What did I know? LOL
Richard, maybe you ought to just eat the ground hog and be done with it, LOL.
Just posted pics on my blog of our blizzard clean up. Now I am going for another nap. I am really hurting bad today. Have a good one!!
Blessings, Alice
Hi Alice,
I saw your pictures on the Blog. You sure had a mess there. Did you rever get your car out? Dogs make us do things we wouldn’t do if we didn’t have them. But, I wouldn’t get rid of my doggie.
Marilyn in New York
No Marilyn I did not dig my car out today. I am just hurting way too much. I treat my pets the same as I do people I love, I would go to heck and back for them. 😀
Alice
I get that alot, people telling me to go to heck. is that a good thing,lol. Richard, lebanon,pa
Hi Alice,
I treat my doggie just like you treat yours. With Rickie, I have gone to heck and back. He is still her and loved. Rickie is a member of the family.
Marilyn in New York
I treat my cats just as good. I don’t see the sense in having pets if you are not going to love them and do whatever needs to be done to take care of them. But I have to admit, I have tried to get Rusty to use the cats liter pans, LOL. It didn’t work, but what a hoot it would be if it had worked, LOL.
Have a good night folks!! Watch out for the buggies!!
Alice
Hi Alice,
Do you know they have dog pads now? The people that use to live in the apartment next to me had them. You put them down and the doggie can go potty on them – then you fold them up and throw them out. I don’t know how cheap they are though. I wish I could teach Rickie to use the toilet. I saw a picture of cat using one and I thought that would be a good idea for a dog-but Rickie doesn’t think so.LOL
Marilyn in New York
Oh my gosh Marilyn, what a conversation for buggy signs across america, LOL. I have heard of them but I don’t think Rusty would ever use one. He just won’t mess in the house under any circumstances.
Good night, I am heading to bed.
Alice
My best friend in high school was Mennonite, though of a considerably more liberal church than most (most of the Mennonites in Nebraska are very liberal…no plain dress, coffee filter hats and all electronics were permissable). Her dad would drive her and her siblings in their Ford Aerostar van pulling a trailer of donated medical equipment to some of the Mennonite settlements in Belize. Which is quite insane if you think about DRIVING to Belize…she had some amazing stories that were the result of those trips.
Lindsay, your friend has some unique life experiences in those trips! My family’s three day long trips to get to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada aren’t as, well, perilous as your friend’s! Wow, you’re friend’s family had dedication to their faith that is blind to liberal and conservatism, its simple compassion, even if it is just helping members of the same faith.
I understnad the reason these signs are posted; to slow auto traffic down or at least let the driver be aware that horsedrawn buggies are common in the area. I have driving horses myself and it is unsettling to say the least when cars zoom by you, mere inches away, and don’t slow down one bit … much less give you a little “space”. Fact is most drivers are ignorant (of the dangers involved in zooming right by a horsedrawn vehicle), or they don’t care or they just don’t think.
I once had some lease property where I grazed cattle and it was split by a hard top road. Frequently I would open the gates and drive the cattle from one side of the road to the other. Invariably as soon as the first cow set hoof on the blacktop someone would come around the corner and often would drive right through the herd without slowing even ONE MPH. I had the county put out “Cattle Crossing” signs, but it didn’t make any difference. I never did it, but I though about having some signs printed up that said “Caution TOTALLY NUDE FUN RUN just ahead”. I figure these bozos wont slow down for safeties sake, but let them think they are going to see something that they really shouldn’t be looking at anyway and they would surely put the brake on the floorboard. I lost that lease before I tried it out, but have often thought of putting something similar on the back of my wagon. Doubt the Amish would do so, but I bet it would work. We live in a sick society.
Hello Ray, my friend’s family did have some tales…like crossing bridges that were literally two planks for each set of wheels and meeting witch doctors. The witch doctor at least didn’t shrink their heads lol. But they did take some interesting trips, like going to Tajikistan (they had several international students from Tajikistan and decided to visit). They were the first Americans to visit the country since before the collapse of the Soviet Union they were literally rock stars in that country. When she came back she brought me a burqa…I’m always tempted to wear it on bad hair days :-p
I like to cycle, and it’s frightening how people don’t pay attention or care. I’ve become a much more aware driver since taking up cycling…perhaps some of those people should try riding in a buggy once and then perhaps they’ll have more sympathy and awareness.
Greetings!
Just popping in to say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ERIK’S DAD!! HOPE YOU HAVE AN AWESOME DAY!! 😉
Blessings, Alice
buggy signs in Unity, Maine
When the buggy signs were first put up in Unity, Maine a couple of years ago, the whole first set were stolen, probably because they were such a novelty. The second set has stayed put, which is good, and most of the drivers around here are courteous to the Amish buggies, tho’ not all.
Signs
I live in Conewango Valley, New York…Amish Country, the oldest and largest settlement in New York. We have signs for the buggies and signs for pedestrians as well on the high traffic roads near the school houses. The amish here are old order, wonderful people. There have been trajic accidents between cars and buggies but few and far. I am glad to know them and have them as my neighbors!
Sorry I misspoke they are Troyer amish, I did not mean that they are old order mennonites.