There’s been a discussion recently over whether Amish in Pennsylvania should have their buggies registered and carry license plates, just like motor vehicles. Young Center Senior Scholar Steven Nolt recently appeared on WITF’s Smart Talk to discuss the issue. Here’s the back story: Drive behind a Amish horse and buggy in Pennsylvania and you’ll see a fluorescent orange, triangular placard attached to the gray and…
Terri Roberts was the mother of Charles Carl Roberts IV, the man responsible for the Nickel Mines Amish school shootings in 2006. Terri passed away this weekend following a 13-year battle with cancer. I met Terri briefly on one occasion, at the Forgiveness conference at Elizabethtown College in 2011. She seemed full of life and a lot more energy than you’d expect despite the disease…
Don Curtis was one of our oldest readers and, writing here well into his 90s, pehaps our oldest active commenter. I just got word from Al in KY that Don passed away July 30th, at the ripe old age of 94. Al learned the news from the latest edition of the Budget newspaper. Here’s the information from the paper’s Bellefontaine, OH scribe: “Bellefontaine, Ohio Aug. 3 — Don,…
It’s been awhile since we’ve had a nice photo post. Today reader Frank Trestka shares a set of shots from visits to Holmes County, Ohio. So enjoy some beautiful summer views of one of my favorite Amish communities. These were taken in June. I’ve added my own comments along with a couple of anecdotes from Frank. This might be my favorite shot of the bunch (well…
Since at least 2013, one Lancaster County Amish farm has been home to a herd of camels, roaming fields where one might otherwise expect a different sort of four-legged beast. But what in the world are Arabian dromedaries doing on an Amish farm in Lancaster County? From the original AP report: Camel’s milk has arrived in Lancaster County, courtesy of Little Bit, Twila and their herd,…
MinnPost.com has an interesting article exploring the stories of two Amish-raised women who decided to leave their Amish lives behind. The main focus is on how these women – Susan Miller, 21, and Rebecca Swartzentruber, 36 – are now getting an education and pursuing goals outside their birth communities. The women have enrolled in the Hawthorne Education Center in Rochester, Minnesota. This is a stone’s throw from…
Bill and Tricia Moser were living in one of America’s wealthiest communities when they stepped away, launching a journey of faith that ultimately led them to become Old Order Amish—adopting the plain life exemplified by the horse and buggy. They and their six children remained Old Order Amish for 15 years, but in 2014 they left their community and joined an Amish-Mennonite church in Missouri….
Three hundred people have been immunized following an outbreak of whooping cough in an Amish community in Missouri. The community in question is at Seymour in Webster County. This is the largest Amish settlement in the state, with a population of 1500-plus. As of yesterday there were 15 confirmed cases with 2 babies hospitalized. Whooping cough and measles are diseases which have shown up in Amish communities in recent…
Over the weekend, Lancaster Online published an interesting article on the Amish and Old Order Mennonite schools of Lancaster County. The situation here is unlike most other Amish communities, in that some schools have both Amish and Mennonite students. Lancaster County has a large Old Order Mennonite presence, centered in the northern half of the county. So in those areas, you’ll find mixed classrooms of students and may have a Mennonite or an…
You read that right – an Amish smoking study. Many are surprised to learn that some Amish people smoke. A certain segment of Amish (notably Lancaster County) produces tobacco as a cash crop. Smoking is considered a part of tradition in some Amish communities. And as in any population you’re going to find some smokers just as you do drinkers, drug users, Boston Creme donut…