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…
This past Monday, Amish at Ethridge, Tennessee were victims of a pair of armed robberies. In both cases a truck was used to block the road, and an armed individual emerged to demand money. The assailants even shot at one Amish buggy as it fled. The good news is that authorities have captured three suspects. It sounds like, for their trouble and likely impending prison sentences, the trio acquired a grand…
Today’s guest post is by Bill Moser and Jeff Smith. Those names might ring a bell – you might recall a post here last year on the book Becoming Amish, about the Moser family’s conversion to Amish Christianity. In this first of two guest posts, Bill and Jeff share one side of the experience with us today. — Seeking a community of faith that aligned with…
This is not really an Amish story, but “Amish” ended up in the headlines incidentally. A group of Amish boys in Hillsdale County, Michigan stumbled across a body in the woods last week. Authorities have determined the 37-year-old-man died of multiple gunshot wounds. From the Hillsdale Collegian: Joseph Graber, a 12-year-old boy who lives less than a mile away from the crime scene, was one of…
Planning an Amish wedding for a few hundred guests, and want to make sure the special day goes off without a hitch? You’ve never found yourself in that situation, you say? Well, if you ever did, you might do well to pick up a copy of Das Hochzeit Büchlein: A Wedding Preparation Booklet. This handy guide was produced by members of the Lancaster County Amish community. It’s…