Inside A “Super Basic” Amish Home (18 Photos)
I’ve got a very simple and what I’m calling “super basic” Amish home to share with you this week. You’ll see why I gave it that nickname in a minute. The location is one of Tennessee’s 14+ Amish settlements, in the area of Stantonville (McNairy County).
This is a Swartzentruber Amish community and it has been around a little while – since 2009. The latest Amish population figures tell me there are about 260 Amish living here.
And here we have one family who has put their four-bedroom, zero-bathroom home up for sale. The description:
Escape to the countryside in this stunning 4-bedroom Amish home, boasting over 2300 heated sqft and sitting on 33.14 acres of rolling hills. The barn with stables and partially fenced land make it perfect for horse lovers or farmers. Imagine waking up to breathtaking views and spending your days exploring the great outdoors. With its unique Amish craftsmanship and ample space, this property is a rare find. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to own a piece of rural paradise!
So let’s check it out. This home is among the more basic homes you’ll see even among the Swartzentruber Amish.
Note the very thin partial divider wall making this one large room into (not-quite) two. This side is something like a living room.
On the other side we have the kitchen space.
Looking a bit closer, this looks like some sort of chimney. Note the dark circular opening; there is something similar on the other side in the living room.
The wooden part on the bottom is throwing me off. I’m not quite sure exactly what we’re looking at. Have not seen this specific design before, and I’m not understanding why it’s elevated on the wood bit. If you know what’s going on here folks, help me get smarter 🙂
The kitchen space from another angle. Looks like something is cooking on that little kerosene stove.
Another of the large open rooms. See what I mean by this home being “super basic”. You can notice that the reflective ceiling material is tacked up by what might be small nails. I don’t know exactly what the material used here is called.
Also note the flooring. This is flooring that other Amish would see fit to use in their workshops, not their homes. But in Swartzentruber homes, this is what you see. Again, very basic home.
Stove angle view from the same room.
One of the bedrooms, with a similar appearance to the rest of the home. I think that’s a scale on the floor.
Another bedroom which appears to be doubling as canning jar storage. This family probably has a lot of that going on, and upcoming, based on when these photos were taken.
And a third bedroom with some floor mattresses. A sign this family is moving to a larger place. Nice heart-shaped rag rug.
So let’s step outside for a few photos from around the property.
There’s a nice piece of land here – 33 acres.
A view showing the home and some of the buildings.
Buggy parking. Notice the buggy has no storm front, which is typical for a Swartzentruber buggy.
The barn fits in with the rest of the property.
View from the other end of the lane.
So how much for this super basic Amish home, on 33 acres of land?
The price tag on this Amish property is $225,000. Represented by Brooke Redmon Benton of Action Realty.
This is a home which stands in stark contrast to say, this also-Amish home. What are your impressions?
CHIMNEY SUPPORT
THE WOODEN STRUCTURE BELOW THE CHIMNEY IS THE SUPPORT FOR THE CHIMNEY IT WAS NOT BUILT ATTACHED TO THE GROUND OR OTHER FOUNDATION PART.
If that’s the case, what would be the reason for this design choice?
Kitchen
There could’ve been a kettle stove built in at the base of the chimney in the kitchen. The floor is darker there. I really have no idea; just thought I’d hazard a guess 🙂
Erik,
Do the Swartzentruber Amish have Sunday Services in their homes ? And is some of the furniture removed from this home ? It looks so empty. And one last question. Do the Amish believe that being as plain as they appear to be guarantee an easier path to heaven ??
Plain
Not easier. But material possessions and the competition they can engender can impede a proper focus.
I believe Swartzentrubers are more apt to use their barn spaces for church services than most other Amish. Some Amish homes are too small to have church service so in some communities a neighboring home provides a space two weeks in a row.
Anecdotally, some Amish probably do think, at least somewhat, in that way in that following lifestyle related rules and customs helps them to heaven. But I think it’s safe to say most do not and have a more Christ-centric belief.
Reflective Ceiling?
Not sure why the ceiling is help u on with nails, but I suspect the reflective surface is simply high gloss paint. The Amish often use this because it washes so well, and with wood or coal heat the women generally wash the walls at least twice a year. The gloss finish allows the soot to be washed off more easily.
Maybe in some cases, but especially in the second large room it strikes me as more like a plastic wrap type material, because of the way the shadows look at each nail point. Maybe someone in the building trade knows what this is.
Chimney support
Eddie Hines is correct that this is a chimney support. It is a very simple one, but (other than a clean out place) the chimney simply goes up, so why waste a bigger frame for it? Likely the stove in the picture is moved in front of the chimney when needed, and moved away if not needed.
Note that the “very thin partition wall” is a removeable wall. It can be moved out to give more room for church or any other large gathering. There is a fair possibility that even the chimney can be removed. If so then that would also add to the reason to have the simple support.
The basic flooring is simply varnished plywood. This is often just the “sub flooring” for most houses. Depending on the group, it would be covered with hardwood, or other wood planking, or vinyl laminate, or linoleum, or vinyl tile. A very conservative group may just stop with the plywood.
Other factors would be if this was a “starter house” or a temporary house or a shop/house combo style called a “shouse.” It does not seem to have a shop, but the style could still be used as a basic type house. However, most likely for the type of Amish we have here, it is simple a conservative choice.