Favorite Posts

As we wrap up the 2010s, a look back at some favorite posts of the past 12 months. My thanks to all of you who took the time to read, share and comment on posts this year. Wishing you all good things in 2020 ~ Erik Church 6 Examples of Amish Ordnung Rules Colorado Amish […]

Continue Reading Favorite Posts Of 2019

The final price tag on this sweet vehicle is $9,861.18, to be precise. The photos were taken by reader Jerry, who attended a recent auction in Perry County, PA, where the buggy was up for bidding. Here’s the interior:   The price gave Jerry “sticker shock”, he says (and this leaves out the horse, which adds around $1600). Just […]

Continue Reading This is what a $9,861 Amish buggy looks like

File this one under “Not A Spoof”. Chad Adams, a police sergeant for Pulaski Township in Western PA, recently spent time walking local roads dressed as an Amish woman. Why would he do such a thing, you’re surely wondering?  The department was trying to catch a man who had been exposing himself to Amish children walking […]

Continue Reading PA Police Officer Goes Undercover as Amish Woman

You’ve heard of the Amish barn raising–but what about the Amish “barn moving”? Not only do Amish work together to put up a barn in short order, sometimes they team up to literally pick up and move a structure. And there are a handful of videos on Youtube showing this in action. First, from Wisconsin. […]

Continue Reading The Amish “Barn Moving” (Video)

The photos below show some typical items used in the Adams County, Indiana Amish community.  The Amish of Adams County are considered “lower” or more traditional than many other groups.  These photos were taken in a local shop. This first photo shows a common style of oil lamp, the form of lighting used in this […]

Continue Reading Household Items of the Adams County, Indiana Amish

Last week I made a short visit to the Pinecraft Amish community at Sarasota, Florida.  I wanted to share that visit with you via a series of photos.  If you haven’t heard of it, Pinecraft is an unusual Amish community for a few reasons. It is located in a city (Sarasota, population 52,811–technically just outside […]

Continue Reading Visiting Pinecraft (41 Photos)

Back in June I shared a little of what I learned from Janneken Smucker’s talk on Amish quilts at the Elizabethtown Amish conference. During her talk, Janneken shared numerous examples of Amish-made quilts which defy assumptions (such as quilts with white backgrounds or elaborate embroidery). Likewise, quilts that Amish produce for today’s consumer market often differ […]

Continue Reading Nautical Star Amish Quilt

Today we have some photos courtesy of Bob Rosier, taken in the sole Amish community in Texas (in Bee County, about 90 miles southeast of San Antonio). We’ve featured posts on this community before (see Bee County, Texas Amish), as well as on now-defunct Texas Amish settlements (see Amish in Texas), if you’d like to catch […]

Continue Reading The Beeville,Texas Amish Community (23 Photos)

Since getting back from northern Indiana Monday night, I’ve been thinking about ways to share my trip with you. I usually return from these Amish journeys with a jumble of thoughts and photos…some of them become posts and some just sort of evaporate. In the interest of capturing as much of that as possible, I […]

Continue Reading A Visit to Amish Indiana in 25 Photos

The following is taken from an anonymous obituary found in The Diary.  The gentleman in question, a Mr. Stoltzfus, was in his early 80s at the time of death.  According to the obit, among other relatives, Stoltzfus was survived by “98 grandchildren; 32 step-grandchildren; 143 great-grandchildren; numerous step-great-grandchildren”. I am always amazed by numbers like these, […]

Continue Reading How do Amish keep track of their grandchildren?