On my last visit to Holmes County, Ohio – December – I saw more e-bikes on the road than I did buggies, reflecting how popular they’ve become in America’s second-largest Amish community. These are very handy for getting around in this hilly area. But safety is an issue with a vehicle that can reach speeds of 20 mph or more, and which has become so…
In past posts we’ve seen the layout and details of Amish schools. In today’s post we focus not so much of the rooms or the buildings, but upon life in and around the schoolhouse. To help us navigate through this we have Laura Graber, who has been featured here as the bride in the “Amish-ish” Wedding  posts. Laura was kind enough to sit down for an interview…
Logging workers have the highest fatality rate of any civilian job in the US, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The profession sees 110.4 fatalities per 100,000 workers – a rate more than double that of roofing (the third-deadliest occupation) and over 33 times higher than the national average for all workers. Amish in many communities are involved in the lumber industry – both…
Sheriff’s deputies in Montgomery County, New York showed up on the scene of a fully involved fire at an Amish sawmill yesterday morning. Fire crews had yet to arrive – so the two men, Lieutenant Justin Smith and Sergeant Luke Paine, had to act quickly. As it happened, one of them had firefighting training, and the other did not. More from WRGB 6 News: GLEN,…
Author Haley Straw returns today with part 6 of a new winter-themed series, drawing on one of her more challenging experiences as an Amish taxi driver. Part 1 is here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, and part 5 here if you missed them. We should have been home by then. Instead, we were still chasing taillights through the dark. Highway 30 was clear. Highway 151…
Fortunately, the Amish woman was okay. But it had to be a scary experience – and a reminder of the dangers of certain fuels commonly used by Amish for light and heat. This happened in the Bloomfield, Iowa Amish settlement. It appeared in a brief report at the Bloomfield Democrat: A busy week of fire calls for Davis County firefighters culminated with an explosion Monday…
Author Haley Straw returns today with part 5 of a new winter-themed series, drawing on one of her more challenging experiences as an Amish taxi driver. Part 1 is here, part 2 here, part 3 here and part 4 here if you missed them. My body knew it before my mind caught up. Face pale. Hands fidgeting. Legs bouncing uncontrollably. I shot nervous glances at Allen,…
Author Haley Straw returns today with part 4 of a new winter-themed series, drawing on one of her more challenging experiences as an Amish taxi driver. Part 1 is here, part 2 here, and part 3 here if you missed them. I was exhausted to the point of feeling loopy. The world felt distant – sounds dulled, everything slightly off. That’s when the talking started behind us….
Amish schools in one Ohio community are all full – so the community is planning a new one. This brief report by Shawn Digity in the Zanesville Times Recorder reveals some details about what goes into building an Amish school – in this case in an Amish community in Muskingum County, OH. For one, the cost of building a new Amish school? In this case,…
This one is just heartbreaking. A two-year-old Amish girl lost her life Saturday in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania after falling from a tractor. More from Lancaster Online: A 2-year-old Amish girl died after sustaining a head injury in a farming accident on Saturday in Upper Leacock Township, according to the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office. Sarann S. King, of Gordonville, died Saturday on the 300 block of…