With Amish found in over 500 locations across North America, you have a decent chance of stumbling across a community while on the road (assuming you stay off the interstate). Don Burke had this happen on a recent road trip when he came upon an unexpected settlement in northeastern Ohio. He shares his passing visit to the Andover settlement, along with some photos in today’s…
Lancaster Online reports that a new Amish settlement has been founded in Lancaster County’s next-door neighbor, York County. Why is this news? It’s notable because it’s the first example of a new, more deliberate strategy of creating Amish settlements. Amish have actually lived in York County for quite some time. But these Amish have been considered a part of the greater Lancaster County settlement (which also…
The Winnipeg Free Press reports that Canada will soon have a fourth province with an Amish presence. Amish from Ontario are buying land and planning to settle in Manitoba, about 100 miles south of province capital Winnipeg, in the Rural Municipality of Stuartburn: Swidersky estimated about 100 Amish may settle there, mostly young families starting out. There are already highway signs featuring a horse and buggy…
Don Burke, who last month shared with us a visit to the Amish of Ethridge, Tennessee, is back with photos from the community at New Wilmington in western Pennsylvania. This time, Don’s wife Pam joins him for a little commentary on their visit. I’ve had the chance to visit New Wilmington a couple of times, the first time 10 years ago. I made it the topic of…
Don Burke, who’s previously shared photos from places like Kalona, Iowa; Jamesport, Missouri; and an Amish “ghost town”, today takes us to the Ethridge, Tennessee community. Ethridge is a conservative Swartzentruber community, and depending on how you define the region, the largest Amish settlement in the South. The people here are decidedly plainer than in communities like Lancaster County or those in northern Indiana. This shows up…
News of a wildfire in the vicinity of the Rexford, Montana Amish settlement (West Kootenai) began appearing over the past few days. Initial reports were that the Amish community was “OK”. Today brings different news. The Amish have in fact been hit hard – so far losing a total of 40 buildings – 10 homes and 30 outbuildings – to what’s being called the Caribou Fire. Another…
If you’d like a glimpse of Amish areas in the Empire State, newyorkupstate.com has posted 14 photos taken in Western New York. The article references Chautauqua County, which is home to several Amish communities, including the settlement at Clymer (10 church districts as of 2017). However, at least some of these photos may in fact be from neighboring Cattaraugus County, which includes the town of Leon, noted in a…
The Amish community at Fort Fairfield, Maine is turning 10 years old, and Bangor Daily News has an article on the community with comments from founder Noah Yoder. With his wife and 11 children, Yoder moved to the area from upstate New York as the settlement’s first family in August 2007. We have looked at this settlement once before in 2013, following a piece in…
The Young Center at Elizabethtown College now has estimates available for the Amish population in 2017. Amish are currently found in 31 states, three Canadian provinces, and two South American countries (Argentina and Bolivia). You’ll find the population overview here. You can view state/province/country figures here. One new addition this year: interactive maps showing the population in each state and province. You’ll also find a list of the 12…
For a state with few Plain people, the Amish in Maine sure get a lot of coverage. Over the past several years, we’ve seen news stories on the atypical Amish community at Unity, ME, Amish convert and Unity resident Matthew Secich, the conservative Amish enclave at Fort Fairfield, and the Smyrna Mills community, the state’s oldest. Last year, Maine press outlets began covering a community in the works…