Not Your Typical Amish Home (18 Photos)
I’m calling this “not your typical” Amish home for a couple of reasons. One is the interior.
As you’ll see below, it has its share of typical Amish elements. But you’ll also notice the overall look of the home is quite different from many of the homes we feature.
Another thing that makes it “not your typical” Amish home is that it is on a very small lot and (even going by it’s exterior appearance) is essentially an “in town” home.
Although, it is located not in an official town, but in the hamlet (technically “unincorporated community”) of Emma, Indiana. You’ll also notice the home was not originally Amish-built, with the car garage and other design features.
Now, I’m well aware some Amish do live in non-traditional homes like this one. In certain communities (including this one – Elkhart-LaGrange Counties), a decent number of Amish live “in town”. Take the nearby town of Topeka for an example.
This home is a good reminder of that. But it’s much more often the case that Amish live in more expansive multi-acre properties.
That explanation out of the way – let’s take a closer look at what makes this “not your typical” Amish home. Hat-tip to Jim Halverson for sending this one along!
From the Century 21 listing:
CASH FLOW opportunity in Emma! Amish home with upstairs apartment and separate entrance. Apartment features it’s own kitchen, full bath and private entrance.
Roof is only 3 years old. Septic pumped in 2024. New space heater in upstairs in 2024. Auto-start pump for water. Gas refrigerator and range on main floor stay with the property.
Garage and breezeway attached. 30 x 20 barn has new fencing. Nice deck on South side of house with plenty of sun. Property is 1/3 acre.
So at just one-third of an acre, this is a small piece of land. The listing is pitching this as a potential rental opportunity as it has its own upstairs apartment (another not-typical-Amish feature).
Inside the Home
Let’s check out the interior. Right off the bat I think you can see what I was talking about with the furniture (chair and ottoman) and turquoise walls in the living room here.
At the same time you have the Amishy light fixture (looks like some sort of battery light setup attached to what was once used as a gas fixture) as well as the wall decor, like the clock.
Another look at the same room from the other direction brings the point home 🙂
We see the heat source for this room near those comfy-looking recliners.
So looking at this photos, I’d say this is the home of a young, childless Amish couple.
I was going to say “Amish bachelor pad” at first…but there are definite feminine notes here – in the flower decor on the wall, and the dresses you see hanging on the door.
Might just be some adult beverages in that cabinet.
Here’s the kitchen, which has a style that suggests it hasn’t been renovated in awhile, though it’s nice and clean. Here we do see a more traditional Amish gas light fixture.
Fridge and other side of kitchen.
A glimpse of the bathroom.
The Upstairs Apartment
The upstairs apartment portion of the property is pretty sparse. But would make a suitable place for a young single person to call home.
The small apartment kitchen.
And bathroom.
Fun couch in a funky room. Once again, you can see why I went with this post title 🙂
Looks like a Dallas Cowboys fan is in the house.
Basement
Here is what’s generating power down in the basement. The black box on the right connected to the battery is an inverter converting it to standard household current for powering appliances, charging smartphones, etc. Remember, this is one of the most progressive Amish communities (though it has its conservative pockets).
Also down here: a traditional wringer washer.
The listing description references a barn, but I’m having trouble determining where it is in the full photo set.
It could be that whoever lives here does not have a horse-and-buggy (there is no buggy visible in the garage shots), getting around using the common-in-this-community bicycle, and other means. That’s also not unheard of with some “town” Amish folks.
So how much for this three-bedroom, two-bath, 1440-square-foot-property in “Emma town”?
It’s currently up for sale at $245,000. Represented by CENTURY 21 Bradley Realty, Inc. (260-399-1177).
Emna, Indiana Home
I’ve been to Emma Indiana, it’s a quaint small town, has a fabric and whatnot store, had a soda fountain. Just past Yoder Popcorn, free samples there!
This appears m9re of a New Irder Amish, far removed from typical Old Order Amish. A bit pricey in cost, but, turn it into a tourist trap and rake in $$
Barn
I have followed you for a couple years now. Very much appreciate and enjoy you knowledge and information about the Amish. I did some snooping on Google Maps and think I found the place. I think the barn is at the far left of the lot when facing the house from the street. There appears what may have been a garden behind the garage. Did you say this was an English built house? I see some sort of wiring coming to the left front corner of the house from the street.
Thank you Marty! I did look at those side buildings but was puzzled why they didn’t include any shots where they were more visible…gave the impression they weren’t part of the property. Thanks for checking it out and reporting back here. Yes this would be an English-built house as it’s quite unlike typical Amish styles. It’s not uncommon for Amish people to move into non-Amish houses (sometimes they even leave the electricity in for a bit, but don’t tell anyone 😉 ).
The house
This was an interesting article aptly titled which left me with a few questions. I am curious about when the house was built as there is a gas light from the ceiling in the kitchen; I’m guessing the house originally had gas lighting although there is what seems to be a power line to the house in one of the pictures of the outside. Do some Amish have no objection to solar panels? They presumably don’t like to hook up to an electrical grid but some have no problem with battery operated things. Also it would seem any use of natural gas would have to involve buying bottled gas rather than being supplied by a municipality or gas company. I saw what appeared to be gas stoves in the kitchen and am wondering if in the living room where the recliners are if that is a type of pellet stove since it has a vent to the outside. The pellets would still need to be purchased somewhere nearby–it seems atypical of the Amish in that they would presumably prefer their own woodlot to supply their heating requirements maybe especially if they’re Swartzentruber. The spare attic room had me wondering if the Amish generally are amenable to renting out a room to a non-Amish person. Do the Amish ever hire non-Amish farmhands? BTW, the wringer washer has a power cord–where is it plugged in and what is the power source? As I read in the description, wastewater from the house is handled by a septic system–I know of this, but am unclear on how it works exactly. As a non-Amish town dweller all my life, perhaps someone can clarify on this. The description said “septic pumped in 2024”, last year. How often does a septic system need to be pumped and is it essentially sewage sludge? What is the cost for this and is the waste that is pumped in turn get emptied into a nearby municipal sewage treatment plant?
The house--PS
I forgot to ask about how the house is supplied by water, I’m assuming it is well water (??).
I’m not sure what people in this area do for water but it’s not an especially urbanized area so might be well water.
The house PPS
I overlooked the power generator in the basement in re-reading the article, that answers my question about where the wringer washer is plugged in.
That looks like...
I didn’t place the community from the accent wall, but the outside shots made me think, “Is this Topeka, IN”, and indeed it was Emma, right up the road! Northern Indiana is such a lovely community. For those thinking this is a New Order house, some Old Order districts in northern IN are this progressive in technology. Quite a contrast to the Old Order folks in Buchanan County, Iowa (just north of me). Steven Nolt’s fantastic book “Plain Diversity” explores the diversity of Amish in Indiana in considerable detail, for those interested.
Thanks for this post! Nice to see a community I love!
Good eye, Emily! Thanks for the note about New/Old Order. One of the misconceptions is that “New Order” just means the “higher tech” Amish when that is not always or necessarily the case, not to mention all the other layers that go along with the New Order churches.
Steve’s book you mention is one of my favorites of all books about the Amish (along w/co-author Thomas Meyers).