Molly asks a good question on the recent Lancaster farm stay post: Erik, would you tell us the differences between Lancaster County & Holmes County? We have visited Holmes County, but would like to know the differences. As the two largest and most-visited Amish communities, people do often wonder which one of Holmes County and Lancaster County is best to visit – and how they…
WKYC’s 88 Counties in 88 Days series stopped in Geauga County following an earlier visit to Holmes County. They spoke with Chester Kurtz, an Amishman associated with the Geauga Amish Historical Library, on how his community is handling the pandemic. I find Kurtz an exceptional spokesman for his people, which you can judge in the video below. Chester Kurtz. Images: WKYC This video was actually posted…
Each of these three videos features Amish either on the way to church, or heading home afterwards. But which communities were they filmed in? There are clues in each video which point to the answers. Number 3 is the toughest. Video #1 Video #2 Video #3
We’ve got two winners today of German Lutherans to Pennsylvania Amish: The Stoltzfus Family Story by Nic Stoltzfus (if you missed the interview with Nic, find it here). But first, an excerpt from the book. This is a section on the question of who was Nicholas Stoltzfus’ wife. She was at least partially known, but her identity had not been precisely identified. Nic and the…
Via Syracuse.com: Georgetown, N.Y. — An Amish teenager died Tuesday after his buggy was hit by an SUV in Madison County. Rudy M. Hershberger, of Earlville, was pronounced dead at Community Memorial Hospital in Hamilton hospital shortly after the crash, the New York State Police said. He was 17 years old. The accident happened around 5:15 p.m. on state Route 26 in Georgetown. Hershberger was…
It’s looking like good work by authorities in northwest Pennsylvania. Back in July, a young Amish couple and their two children – a 1-year-old and an infant – were rear-ended in Crawford County. The driver was charged yesterday for the hit-and-run crash: TITUSVILLE — A Spartansburg woman has been charged for a Sparta Township hit-and-run crash with a horse-drawn Amish buggy that seriously injured a…
Is it possible to stay on an Amish farm in 2020? Hat tip to Linda, who sends along this National Geographic article on the current state of Amish farm stays in Lancaster County. You might not have known that it’s possible to stay on an Amish farm in some places – but it is. A number of Amish households run this type of lodging business….
After last week’s 40-acre Wisconsin farm, this week, another Amish farm that is still on the market. This one lies in Cattaraugus County, New York, home of three Amish communities, including one of the largest in the state. This appears to be Conewango Valley, home to around 2,500 Amish. One thing is for certain, they have a beautiful property here: The listing at realtor.com has…
We learned last week that Amish Cook Gloria Yoder was in a vehicle accident described as “serious”. She re-emerges this week with a column on what happened. Gloria was in a van with other ladies from her church on a thrift shopping trip when this happened: Moments later, the driver had my full attention as she verbalized an anxious, “Ohhh!!” I took it all in…
Here’s a video from Daniel Stoltzfus, of his wife Lydia discussing and sharing some of her scrap quilts. They are not in an Old Order Amish church, but grew up in one. I always love hearing this accent. Daniel and Lydia are parents to Lillian Stoltzfus, who passed away this summer at age 46. You can see Lillian in this video as well. At the…