Orlando Fragasse was his real name, and he was my friend. “Peach” or “Peaches” is what everyone called him though, on account of his big peachy-looking cheeks, a nickname he picked up in childhood and stuck, to the point that even his own children would use it. We met on my first bookselling trip to Holmes County, and Peach’s place, the creaky but cozy home…
If you’ve been following the Kentucky Amish SMV case, you know that some people still do. Jacob Gingerich of Graves County, Kentucky recently wrote 138 letters to KY legislators explaining the Swartzentruber Amish position on the safety triangle. Thanks in part to Gingerich’s efforts, a compromise bill acceptable to his people has quickly passed the KY Senate and is now moving through the House with…
Some may have heard that Stephen Scott passed away suddenly last week. Stephen was a member of the Old Order River Brethren church, an Anabaptist researcher and the author of numerous books on Anabaptist topics, such as Plain Buggies and Why Do They Dress That Way? I came to know Steve at the Young Center at Elizabethtown College in 2008, and catching up with him…
Rachel Yoder was killed by a stray bullet from a hunter’s rifle, according to new reports. A hunter was getting ready to clean his weapon about a mile and a half away, and discharged the firearm into the air. In the most recent news piece I can find, Holmes County Sherriff Timothy Zimmerly describes it as “in all probability” accidental. If there is any “good…
Sad story: late last week a 15-year-old Amish girl was shot and killed while returning home by buggy in the Holmes County, Ohio Amish settlement. Rachel M. Yoder was coming back from a Christmas party for employees of the produce business she worked for. The shooting apparently happened a few miles east of Fredericksburg, near the Holmes/Wayne County border. Police are treating her death as…
If you’ve ever searched for photos of the Amish, chances are you’ve come across the work of Bill Coleman. Bill has spent decades capturing images of Amish in a remote Pennsylvania community. Many of the photos–of buggies, weddings, and the changing seasons–are simply stunning, while others–such as his portraits of children–reveal a closeness Bill has achieved with his many subjects over the years. I had…
You might remember my review of the Connection Amish magazine from earlier in the year, in which I described it as “one of my favorites” and “pretty packed with information and material”. While in Topeka, Indiana this summer I was heading down main street and glanced over at a pleasant-looking but otherwise non-descript little building on the south side of the avenue. Looking closer, what…
Adair Faust (Ethridge Amish photos) shares one more photo along with an Amish Gingerich anecdote: I stopped at a roadside stand at the Gingerich house on MacDowell Road (I mention the road because there are zillions of Gingerich mailboxes all over the area – see below). Mrs. Gingerich, a wonderfully cheerful, energetic, and friendly lady, came out and we chatted while I bought bread and…
How about another edition of “Name that Amish community“. Can you tell where these 3 photos were taken? (UPDATE note: each is from a different settlement) Photo 1: Photo 2: Photo 3:
I went trick-or-treating as a kid, as did pretty much all my friends. It was seen as a harmless chance to dress up as your favorite superhero or ghost or whatever, and bring home a huge haul of sweets. I rememember how my brother and I would come home at the end of the evening and dump out kilos of candy on the family…