In today’s guest post, Suzanne Woods Fisher looks at the development of Amish plain dress, and the role played by Amish founder Jacob Amman. As Suzanne explains, Amman would have known something about clothing. — Why do the Amish dress the way they do? Simple clothing identifies the Plain People as set apart, as individuals belonging to a larger whole, the way a military uniform sets apart a soldier….
The Geauga Amish Historical Library recently opened in the heart of America’s fourth-largest Amish settlement, in the town of Middlefield, Ohio. John Gingerich is the only non-Amish member of the five-person board, which by default also makes him the library’s internet liaison. You might remember seeing John on this site a few years ago discussing his translation of History of the Bernese Anabaptists. John, who is of Amish…
Two works of historical fiction based on the story of Jacob Hochstetler have hit bookshelves over the past month. The first, Jacob’s Choice by Ervin Stutzman, we heard about a few weeks ago. Today we have a Q & A with Bob Hostetler and J.M. Hochstetler, authors of Northkill. Northkill Giveaway Two copies of Northkill are available for Amish America readers to win.  To enter, just leave…
A few weeks ago we passed 30,000 comments on this website. I appreciate all of them (well, almost all of them 🙂 ) and just want to thank each of you who takes the time to share your thoughts with the rest of us. I’m not always able to write a personal response, but nonetheless the comments section remains one of my favorite parts of…
I have been in Lancaster County for the past week, one reason posting has been light lately. This is my third visit this summer; somehow, some way I keep finding reasons to come to Pennsylvania. Â Unlike previous visits, this one is little work, mostly pleasure. Â A couple of highlights so far: Historic Zook House Yesterday I took a car full of Zooks and non-Zooks to…
One of the few places you might find an Amish person “behind the wheel” (see below) is at the various steam engine shows taking place in Amish areas. Today a reader shares photos from the annual event of the Northeast Indiana Steam and Gas Association, “a group of people who are interested in preserving and sharing…the engines, implements, crafts, and activities of America’s past.” This…
On my latest visit to Indiana, a friend gave me an interesting document–an old booklet for Rockome Gardens, a long-running tourist destination featuring rock gardens, intricate stonework and other attractions, located in the Arthur, Illinois Amish settlement (2023 update – unfortunately, Rockome Gardens closed several years ago – but I still hope you’ll enjoy this look back in time!). The booklet is entitled “Your Visit…
Some time ago I was asked about the famous photo of Amish schoolchildren running away from officials in Iowa.  You can see the photo below, taken during an incident in 1965.  It was a turbulent time for Amish which ended with the 1972 Wisconsin v. Yoder Supreme Court decision enabling Amish schooling as we know it today. This photo was taken in Buchanan County, Iowa, after…
My friend Mose Smucker was in the news over the weekend. Mose is an Amish father of 8 (and grandfather of more) who currently runs a meat shop and sandwich stand at bustling Reading Terminal Market in downtown Philadelphia (grab a sandwich from Mose if you’re ever in the neighborhood, if he’s not around his daughters are often there running the show). Mose used to run…
Towards the end of the Kutztown University Old Order peoples talk, Ben Riehl made a remark–I’m paraphrasing here–that “the Amish and Mennonites are just a small piece of a much bigger Pennsylvania German story”. Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center director Dr. Rob Reynolds has shared a little bit of that story with us today. The Amish and Mennonites were in fact only a small segment…