So, simple question here. Do the Amish have bathrooms in their homes? After all, this is one room of the home that most people would consider indispensable. The answer is: it depends. Some Amish groups do, and some groups don’t. All in all, the majority of Amish do have bathrooms. However, there’s still a significant number of Amish who do not have bathrooms in their…
As everyone knows by now, war broke out in Ukraine two weeks ago when Russian forces directed by Vladimir Putin brutally invaded this peaceful country. Gloria Yoder writes about the situation in her latest Amish Cook column: My heart is crushed for all the thousands suffering this very moment. Besides all the natural disasters, there’s the horror and sadness of many innocent people’s lives at…
The Amish have several ways of keeping their food cool. They include harnessing the elements – as well as technology. This will depend, of course, on the Amish group – and what’s allowed in a given church. Here’s a look at three main ways Amish keep food cold – with some additional methods at the end. 1. Propane or Gas Refrigerator The first way…
Unfortunately Amish sometimes end up being targets for harassment, vandalism or violence in some cases. Sadly some Amish schoolchildren recently became targets on two separate occasions in an Ohio community. The report from FOX 8: ASHLAND, Ohio (WJW) – The Fox 8 I-Team has learned two teens are under investigation for an assault carried out on Amish children. Ashland Sheriff Lt. Don Sims told the…
In this ninth and final episode of Donald Kraybill’s “What I Learned From The Amish” podcast, our host addresses Amish beliefs and rituals surrounding death and dying. While some might understandably shy away from this topic, I’ve also noticed a lot of interest in how the Amish approach it over the years. The Amish as a rule address the reality of death and dying directly,…
Tennessee has been seeing some snowy and icy weather recently, and this weekend one driver found herself in a ditch in Lawrence County. News station WSMV reports in a snippet on how local Amish helped this lady out: On Sunday morning, a little snowfall caused some problems for motorists in Lawrence County, including a woman who lost control of her car and slid off the…
Law enforcement in Ohio is pulling out all the stops in their hunt for the hit-and-run (aka “hit-skip”) driver who struck a scootering Amish couple on New Year’s Eve and fled. They searched yesterday by air over Trumbull County for a second time for the vehicle involved. Via WYTV: Sergeant Ray Santiago says they are using every tool they have available to try to locate…
I like to end the year with a look back at some favorite posts of the past 12 months. These were posts with a positive theme, that got a lot of comments, and/or are just personal favorites. Rather than order them by topic as I’ve done before, this year I’ve just listed them in chronological order. Recollecting the year gone by, I want to include…
Among the dozens of victims of last weekend’s spate of tornadoes were four members of an Amish family in Graves County, Kentucky. The Washington Post reports on the aftermath (article behind paywall): MAYFIELD, Ky. — Through the rain and darkness on Friday night, Chris Crawford heard a baby crying. The tobacco farmer had ventured into the howling wind a half-hour earlier to warn his neighbors…
I’ve learned that there is a special exhibition at the High Library at Elizabethtown College, featuring the Amish photos of Dennis Hughes. You may have seen some of his many excellent photos in books such as Amish Enterprise and The Riddle of Amish Culture. The exhibition runs through the end of this week (through December 10), so this could be a nice opportunity if you…