Amish Communities

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Groundhog Day Brain Dump: Punxsutawney Amish, “Grundsow Lodges”, and the Miracle Heater in court?

ByErik Wesner
25 Comments

Happy Groundhog Day! (UPDATED BELOW) Something tells me that with the weather lately, old Punxsutawney Phil might just see his shadow, dooming us to 6 weeks more winter.  Punxsutawney, of course, is the central Pennsylvania town known for holding the most prominent Groundhog Day celebration, complete with a tuxedoed band of residents known as the “Inner Circle” who care for Phil and interpret his prognostications….

7 Million Amish by 2100?

ByErik Wesner
23 Comments

Once, an Amish acquaintance with an interest in numbers showed me a few calculations. He had worked out the theoretical Amish population far into the future, using the assumption that it doubles every 20 years. The numbers get big quickly.  Total Amish population (currently 250,000) hits a million sometime in the 2050s, and rockets from there. A recent academic study (on the spread of a…

Holmes County Road 77

ByErik Wesner
55 Comments

Thanks to Mary for sharing the above photo of County Road 77 in Holmes County, Ohio.  You might recall CR-77 mentioned in the comments section of the Amish buggy safety post of a couple weeks ago.  Hurst and McConnell remind us that CR-77 is known locally as the “Amish roller coaster”, for its series of rolling hills.  You can kind of get a sense of that…

The Pinecraft Pauper
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The Pinecraft Pauper

ByErik Wesner
139 Comments

Florida Plain newspaper The Pinecraft Pauper gears up for season #2 The Pinecraft Pauper is a community newspaper of the Pinecraft neighborhood of Sarasota, Florida, home to a small but sturdy collection of Amish and Mennonites. The Pauper was founded by local writer Daniel Fisher, and features news, human interest stories, puzzles, cartoons, tips (“Make your own carryon luggage for pennies, by taping a cardboard…

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Saturday brain dump: “Rhymie Aaron”, Big Valley Blues, and secrets of Amish heating

ByErik Wesner
26 Comments

A grab-bag of thoughts and stories for the weekend.  Enjoy! Rhymemaster B “Full of action, traction and a lot of satisfaction.”  So replied Amishman “Rhymie Aaron” when asked how he was feeling.  “Rhymie Aaron” was the nickname of Aaron Beiler, who lived most his life in Lancaster County before passing away in 1964.  I recently came across an article about him dating to last year.  Sounds…

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The ex-Amish community

ByErik Wesner
86 Comments

Why do people leave the Amish? Charles Hurst and David McConnell identify two main reasons in An Amish Paradox, their study of the Amish in Holmes County, Ohio.  According to the authors, these are “the desire for fewer lifestyle restrictions”, and “the desire for a more intense religious experience.” Ex-Amish have created a number of venues which provide support to former members. The Former Amish…

Graves County, Kentucky Amish

ByErik Wesner
43 Comments

Reader Brett shares some photos of Amish in Western Kentucky.  Graves County is home to a pair of settlements, one of which is a Swartzentruber Amish community. Kentucky Amish settlements range from Swartzentruber to New Order communities.  Amish have moved into the state in large numbers in recent decades.  In fact, all present Kentucky Amish settlements (except one) have been founded over the past 40…

Roselen’s, An Amish-run Coffee Shop (Arthur, Illinois)

ByErik Wesner
26 Comments

Roselen’s Coffee & Delights 1045 E Columbia St Arthur, IL 61911 (217) 543-3106 In last Friday’s brain dump I mentioned Roselen’s Coffees and Delights, a drive-thru coffee shop in the Arthur, Illinois Amish community. Roselen’s is operated by Amish sisters Rose Plank and Lena Otto.  I guess we can figure out where the shop’s name comes from (but why did poor Lena have to lose…

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The “Amish Community”

ByErik Wesner
39 Comments

The concept of “Amish community” has a number of meanings The term “Amish community” is often used to refer to the Amish in general.  For instance, you might hear the questions, “What does the Amish community do when a barn burns down?” or  “What does the Amish community believe about technology?” Sometimes the term is used appropriately, ie “My friend Lavern comes from the Nappanee Amish…

The Amish of Mechanicsville, Maryland

The Amish of Mechanicsville, Maryland

ByErik Wesner
65 Comments

The Amish settlement at Mechanicsville is one of only three Maryland Amish communities in existence.  The oldest Maryland Amish settlement, at Oakland (Garrett County), was settled in 1850.  Today it is a single church district in size. The Mechanicsville Amish community in southern Maryland was founded nearly a century later (1940) than the Oakland community.  But today it is much larger, consisting of 8 districts,…