The Amish settlement at Kokomo, Indiana, founded 1848, is the third-oldest in Indiana. Yet despite having been in existence for over 160 years, Kokomo remains a tiny settlement of just 2 church districts. Meanwhile, other settlements founded in the state at roughly the same time have grown and thrived. The Nappanee and Adams County settlements approach 40 and 50 church districts respectively, while the Elkhart-Lagrange…
The ten largest Amish settlements, by number of church districts, as of 2009: 10. Allen County, Indiana (Founded 1852; 19 church districts). This Amish settlement located to the north of Fort Wayne is a Swiss-ethnicity community. Open buggies are driven here; the construction trade is popular. Allen County Amish homes are often built of red brick, unlike those of most other Amish. The three most…
Ohio Amish bishop David Kline is an interesting person. I’ve known David for a couple of years and fondly recall my last visit to his Ohio farm, and specifically some warm muffins and warmer companionship at the kitchen table. David is also unusual as an Amish person in that he is a twice-published author. David’s descriptions of wildlife, farming, and rural living in Great Possessions…
Dover, Delaware Amish buggy The Dover Amish settlement, founded in 1915, lies to the west of the city. The Dover community was settled by Pennsylvania, Kansas, Ohio, and Michigan Amish. Today Dover consists of 9 church districts. Lying near a heavily settled urban area, Dover has experienced similar land and population pressures to the Lancaster County Amish to the north. David Luthy cites the editor…
Rustic Russ reports on the Yoder Horse and Carriage Auction in Mount Pleasant, MI. Russ has a nice site with a number of Michigan Amish posts and photos. Furniture is among the many items sold at Amish auctions; woodworking has become a chief industry among Amish, many of whom have opened small businesses in recent years. Read more on Amish woodcraft in the state: Amish…
The last installment, of three, from the recent Lancaster County trip: When I’m at Abe’s, on Saturdays we sometimes do a big breakfast down by the river out back. This involves Chef Abe grilling up a variety of meats–sausage, bacon, spicy sausage, etc, on an open riverside fire (though this time he used the grill up by the house). Eggs, toast, jelly, sliced peaches, pancakes,…
Just got a hot tip from the Young Center that the 2009 Amish population statistics are up at the Amish Studies web site. A couple quick things I noticed between this year’s and last year’s numbers: on the lower end, Arkansas has jumped from 1 to 3 settlements, and the Maine Amish, Montana Amish, and Kansas Amish have all added a settlement. Ohio, Pennsylvania, and…
Outside of a childhood trip to Lancaster County and a brief day in a southern Michigan Amish community, Arthur, Illinois was the place where I first came to know Amish, while selling books there in 2004. Arthur is in fact the sixth largest Amish settlement, with a population of about 4,000. Arthur is a community about 3 hours south of Chicago in the flat farmland…
Texas seems an odd spot to find Amish. Besides the current community in Bee County, there have been at least four other attempts to settle the Lone Star State. In his meticulously researched The Amish in America: Settlements that Failed, 1840-1960, David Luthy describes a short-lived settlement that came about in the state’s southernmost county. Amish fields today brim with corn, alfalfa and hay. One…
Karen Johnson-Weiner is Chair of the Department of Anthropology at SUNY Potsdam, and has been studying the Amish for 25 years. Professor Johnson-Weiner’s areas of specialty include Old Order schools, language in Anabaptist communities, and the Swartzentruber Amish. In Part One of this three-part Q-and-A, she shares her insights on New York Amish. Amish America: Your upcoming book focuses on the Amish in New York. …