Lancaster County: From Snow to Thaw (44 Photos)

For whatever reason, I barely pulled out my camera while in Lancaster County last month.

But reader Ed C. also happened to be there, about a week before me, and has a beautiful set of photos to share with you today.

As you’ll see below, his trip started off snowy, but that gave way to warmer weather.

He includes nice shots of the Bart Township Fire Company Mud Sale, covered bridges, alternative winter transport, and more.

One batch of Ed’s photos is called “Sunrise/Sunset”, so let’s start with the first half of those. Comments below are a mixture of mine and Ed’s.

dawn-light

purple-sky-dawnbreak




breaking-dawn-lancaster-co

Children are walking (and looks like being pulled) to school in these snowy AM photos:

amish-children-headed-to-school

children-walking-roadside-snow

silo-under-snowfall

Kauffman Orchards, off the Old Philadelphia Pike.

kauffmans-orchard

kauffman-orchard-sunny

Bart Fire Sale

The following photos are from the Bart Township Fire Company Mud Sale (held this year on March 6-7; see full 2015 mud sale schedule). As the thaw hadn’t really hit yet, you’ll still see a good bit of snow here.

auction-callers-bart

father-and-daughter-at-mud-sale

Chicken barbeque.

barbecue-chicken-sale

Browsing the lot.

browing-bart-sale

wringer-washers-at-bart-sale

bart-sale-items

The ever popular new & used buggy row.

buggy-line-bart

buggy-row-mud-sale

One of these things is not like the other.

sleigh-for-sale

A new buggy dashboard. You can compare it to the one seen at an auction in Perry County, PA. Is there coffee in that mug?

new-buggy-dashboard-2015-bart-mud-sale

Ed describes this as “Snowman made from snow plowed off field behind firehouse where Mud Sale was held.” I would say “snowmonster” is more like it.

chubby-snowman

girls chatting

Ed: “I approached these three girls and asked if I could take the photo; I suggested they might turn away if they wanted; the blonde girl at left looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘Go ahead, take my picture!'”

girls-on-sleigh

mud-sale-crowd-and-snow-giant

auctioneer-crew-bart

Looks like a nice event. Now, some views of farms.

snow-covered-amish-farmstead

snow-covered-lane

snowy-field-lancaster-co

Covered bridges. The first is Jackson’s Sawmill Covered Bridge, located a few miles east of Quarryville.

Built in 1878, destroyed by flood in 1985. When it was rebuilt, they raised it by three feet as a precaution against flooding.

jacksons-sawmill-covered-bridge

This one is Leaman’s Place Covered Bridge, also known as “Eshelman’s Mill” Covered Bridge. It’s located on Belmont Road west of Paradise. Built in 1845, rebuilt in 1893.

covered-bridge-snowfall

There are 29 covered bridges in Lancaster County. One important reason they were covered was to protect the wooden structure.

It apparently doesn’t last very long if left exposed to the elements.

zoom-in-on-bridge

Buggies weren’t the only Amish transport on the roads. Here’s a horse-drawn sleigh near Bird-in-Hand:

horse-drawn-sleigh-amish-lancaster

Others were about:

sleigh-in-barn-yard

 

closer-view-sleigh

sleigh-with-smv-triangle

cat-perched-on-sleigh

Horseback riding is another way to travel. Not too common, but some Amish, youth in particular, will ride.

horseback-amish-male

Horses have their fun too. Ed says the one the left had just been rolling on its back.

horses-frolicking-in-snow

After the snow comes the thaw. Ed writes “even though we didn’t think it had gotten that warm, the snow on the fields began melting — with a vengeance!”

wet-road

flooding-on-roadway

flooded-road-post-thaw

road-long-view

mules-in-thawing-fields

We’ll finish on the other side of where we started. Sunset:

sun-dropping-lancaster

sun-behind-barn

windmill-silhouette-at-sunset-amish-country

A big thanks to Ed for the photos.

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    23 Comments

    1. Juanita Cook

      Wow, these are really great photo’s. Thanks for sharing.

      1. I agree, Ed is good with that camera of his. Juanita, by the way, you were the winner of In Meiner Jugend, I posted it here last week:

        https://amishamerica.com/in-meiner-jugend-devotional-reader-german-english/#comment-108038

        Let me know where I should have your copy sent, and congrats.

    2. Al in Ky

      Interesting pictures. I’ve been to quite a few Amish consignment/benefit auctions in several states, but never was at one in cold, snowy weather, so this gave me a new perspective.

    3. lincolnlady1121

      Beautiful pictures.

    4. Covered bridges

      Love the photos! If you’d like to see many more covered bridges, come up to Columbia County. Unfortunately, we’ve lost some to floods in recent years.

    5. kim amundsen

      Wonderful set of photo’s

    6. Harriet

      Loved the pics!

      I really enjoyed the pictures, especially the old washers, as they reminded me of my grandmother. I am curious about one thing…why do the men have on straw hats in the winter? Around here, they switch to felt hats and sock caps when it is old outside. Loved the sunsets!! Thanks for sharing.

      1. Are you in northern Indiana by any chance Harriet? In Lancaster County the woolie hats aren’t so common, at least not with adults.

        1. Harriet

          Yes, Erik, I am in Northern Indiana. Do other communities besides Lancaster wear straw hats in the winter?

          1. Yes they do, it is probably less common that Amish males wear the woolie hats actually. In Lancaster I have seen boys wearing woolie hats, but I can’t recall seeing it a lot on adult married men.

    7. Naomi Wilson

      We went to the Robert Fulton mud sale this year because it was recommended by our Amish friends. It did indeed seem to have the biggest assortment, especially of tools and equipment, of the sales we have been to, and things went at good prices.

      But my main reason for leaving a comment is that the pic of grilling chicken reminded me, we had some at the RF sale, and was it ever good! I don’t know when we’ve had better. We may have to go back next year just for it.

    8. ann

      thanks for sharing – loved the pictures

    9. Carol

      Thanks to both of you for sharing these pics today! Blessings! Carol

    10. Jerry

      Now those are good photos..

      It feels like I’m right there in the middle of it all. I really enjoyed them. KUDOs.

    11. Kathy Rowe

      Sure enjoyed the photos. They are very nice. Thank you so much for sharing.

    12. dave

      Thank you for sharing….

    13. Linda

      Cliff the Snowman at Bart Mud Sale

      Thank you, Ed, for the photos, especially the sunrises, row of buggies, gigantic snowman (with a perspective of how big it really was), sleighs, farm lane cleared of snow, covered bridges, and the sunset with the windmill.

      If life gives you snow, make a snowman! Did they name the snowman Cliff?

      A report from
      http://www.bart51.com/
      says “Despite an 11″ snowstorm on the Thursday before the 1st sale and another 4″ snowstorm on the Friday before the 2nd sale, thank you to everyone for clearing the salegrounds. A 15 Foot Snowman [was] built by Sale Committee members 2 days before 51st Mud Sale 3-5-2015 (11″ snowstorm).”

      May I add that 138 photos of the 2015 Bart Fire Co. Mud Sale can be seen at:
      https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.556083714506857.1073742164.144567845658448&type=1

    14. Slightly-handled-Order-man

      the snowman had a smaller ontario cousin

      I love the snowman picture.
      Cliff the snowman had a little cousin here on my street. He appeared in front of a house next to one of the two churches on my street, I think he was created in an effort to store the snow from the sidewalk and along alley-way between the home and church, if not the corner church’s parking lot itself.
      I’ll call the snowman ‘J.W.” in reference to the denomination of the church whose parking lot he probably came from. I think ‘he’ lasted for a very long time.

      1. Slightly-handled-Order-man

        Also, J.W was a story tall almost.

        1. Jonathan Edwards

          Did you spot any igloos nearby? I’ve always wanted one of those, especially in the middle of the summer.

    15. Shirley Chapel

      Loved everyone of Ed’s pictures he shared with us. The sunrises and sunsets. The covered bridges , the sleigh and the mud sales. Great post.

    16. Janice Phillips

      These photos are absolutely awesome. Thank you for sharing.

    17. Kathy Rowe

      Great pictures. Thanks so much for sharing!