Holmes County, Ohio is one of my favorite Amish communities to visit, in part due to the diversity of groups. There are four main Amish tribes here; adding up the sub-groups and spin-off affiliations you get more than double that. A short list of differences you’ll find among Holmes County Amish: Silent vs. spoken prayer Peeling paint vs. pristine walls Rubber vs. metal rims Singing…
I’ve finally put together some trip highlights from Lancaster County. Today begins a new trip, a week-long journey across Indiana and Ohio. Â Before we get into that, here’s what I liked from last week’s visit: Seven nights, four bonfires, two mountain pie feasts. Amish people like to burn stuff in the summer time. Mostly wood from what I can tell. It makes for a nice…
I’ve just gotten back from Lancaster County after what felt like 2 days in the car driving home yesterday (trucks can be bumpy on highways). I’m going to catch up on comments now and will be sharing more as I settle back into English America for a couple days here before the next trip begins. This photo of a friend of mine was taken a…
I’ll be posting some photos and more from my PA Amish trip when I can get back to a computer (this is another late night flashlight Kindle post, the easiest kind when you’re staying in an Amish home)…For now I thought a quiz would be fun. Do you know what these 10 Amish-related terms mean? Pretty much all of them have come up on this…
Do you recall the 12 Amish children orphaned last year when their parents died in a highway accident in New York?  The  Hershberger children were officially adopted this past Monday by an uncle and aunt from Ohio. From the story: The judge asked each soon-to-be parent and the older children if they wanted to move forward with the adoption: Are you willing “to create a…
Visiting Amish communities you might notice people living in a building meant for something else. Tom shares a little today about these “shop houses” along with a few photos from Angelica, NY: Says Tom: “In Conewango and other conservative settlements I visit young married Amish couples often build a shop house. This a very simple house that they can live in until they are able…
This is an accident the media will call “freak”, and Amish will simply call God’s will. Yesterday an Amish woman picking berries in Pennsylvania woods was struck by lightning as she sheltered under a pine tree. Yesterday was also the woman’s due date; the baby she was carrying died with her. Â The woman’s husband and two children, who took shelter under a different tree, were…
 Love these photos today.  This is oat threshing in the Amish community at Carroll County, Tennessee.  You hear it pronounced “thrashing” as well.  For some time I thought that was the official spelling.  But I think that might just be the Amish accent (I’m actually partial to “thrashing”). These photos were taken by Brenda, who previously brought us scenes from a laundry day in the same…
One of the more remarkable interactions between Amish and civic society occurs in Lancaster County, in the form of Amish and other Plain People volunteering, at a quite high level, on local fire crews. This article details that involvement, as well as Plain participation as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Â These aren’t just a few token Plain people. One local fire and EMS company is described…
Michigan Mary attended the Horse Progress Days event this past weekend, held at Clare, Michigan (home to a small Amish community). Horse Progress Days bills itself as “the showcase event for newly manufactured and modified horse drawn equipment”. This annual event started in 1994 in Lancaster County and rotates among locations including Leola, Pennsylvania, Arthur, Illinois, Mt. Hope, Ohio, Clare, Michigan, southern and northern Indiana, and…