Amish Culture

What is an Amish directory? Why do Amish publish them? What kind of info do they contain? In the early days of this website, I did a post on the subject, with a look at my 2002 northern Indiana directory. Don Burke is here to explain further what these guides are, and why you’ll find […]

Continue Reading All About Amish Directories

Are the Amish “backward”? Do they miss modern things we take for granted? What’s the correct way to pronounce “Amish”? Chuck Lofton of news station WTHR recently rode along with John Gingerich, an Amishman who operates a tour buggy in Shipshewana in northern Indiana. John shared several interesting insights as they rode around town. He […]

Continue Reading 5 Insights From Indiana Amishman John Gingerich

My friend Rich Stevick is one of the organizers of a special event in Holmes County this weekend, held at an Amish youth center. Rich invites anyone who’s interested to come tomorrow (Friday, May 3rd). Here’s Rich: For any of you who might be visiting Holmes County, Ohio, this weekend, you will find an authentic […]

Continue Reading You’re Invited To A Swiss Singing & Amish Youth Center Event (Charm, OH)

I have lately been seeing a lot of list posts on one or another aspect of Amish life. These typically have catchy titles and are designed to get you to click on them. Hard to resist a list! (I’ve been known to create a few myself 😉 ) One caught my eye this week – […]

Continue Reading 20 “Unique” Ways Amish Raise Their Children..?

What do Amish wear to church? In addition to their many women’s head coverings, the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center also has several items of church clothing on display. The Woman’s Cape & Apron First of all, a woman’s cape and apron: The cape and apron are commonly worn on Sunday across communities (we had a […]

Continue Reading Amish Church Clothing (8 Photos)

I’ve got some nice photos shared by readers over the past months, which I’ve been wanting to pass along to you. We’ve also got one piece of writing. Here we go! 1. Amish Timepiece Shop – First of all, long-time readers might recall a 2012 post on Mahlon Shetler’s Clock & Watch Shop in Dayton, NY. […]

Continue Reading Reader Photos – Amish Clock Shop, William Penn Land Doc, & More

Ever noticed how Amish women in different places wear different head coverings? A good example is the heart-shaped Lancaster women’s covering, versus the straight-sided, pleated coverings worn by Amish women in the Midwest. Like other items of Amish clothing, there are quite a few different styles of women’s coverings, and some with rather subtle differences. […]

Continue Reading Comparing Amish Women’s Head Coverings (19 Photos)

Do Amish adopt? How does the process work? Do they adopt non-Amish children or just those from their own communities? Amish Cook Gloria Yoder recently shared her family’s story of fostering two children, Jesse and Rayni, in a 2-part series. She gives a window into the adoption process, not yet completed in this case but […]

Continue Reading A Closer Look at Amish Fostering & Adoption

In a nice story of sacrifice, some Amish and Mennonites recently spent holiday vacation time helping victims of an April 2018 tornado. About 200 homes and businesses were damaged last spring by a 115-mph-wind tornado in the area of Meridian, Mississippi. The volunteers are working through the Mennonite Disaster Service organization (MDS). You can see […]

Continue Reading Amish & Mennonites Help Mississippi Tornado Victims

This story landed over Christmas, so might have gone overlooked. The AP reports good news for horse-and-buggy drivers and their neighbors in northeast Ohio: MIDDLEFIELD, Ohio (AP) — Work to widen roads and make other safety improvements is planned in an area of Ohio’s Amish country plagued by crashes resulting in injuries, according to federal […]

Continue Reading Geauga County To Get $14 Million in Road Safety Improvements