The latest edition of Raber’s Almanac contains additional spiritual material that I don’t recall seeing as much of in previous editions – including some Christian poems and stories. One of them caught my eye. It is a story of an encounter between two Bishops, one liberal and one more traditional. I thought this was a good story because it illustrates the tension which could exist…
Yesterday while traveling on I-81 through Tennessee I stopped in at Yoder’s Country Market (Bulls Gap, TN). This is in the eastern end of the state, the part which juts out between Virginia and North Carolina. This is one of the nicest PA Dutch-style stores I’ve come across. I call it “Amishy” because it has a very Amish feel, selling the types of things you’d…
I’ll be visiting Amish communities again over the next couple of weeks. Two of these are places I visited in the autumn, one is a community I last visited ten years ago (Ethridge), and two will be completely new for me. Jan. 30: Ethridge, TN Jan 31: Pontotoc County, MS Feb 1: Ellenboro, NC Feb 5-7: Holmes County, OH Feb 8: Pearisburg, VA This is…
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania is one of the only places* where you’ll see both gray-topped and black-topped buggies in the same community. Black is easily the most common color for Amish buggies overall. But the Amish in this best-known of all Plain communities actually drive the gray version. So who is holding the reins of the black top carriages in Lancaster County? Those would be Old…
Signs for Mattie’s Place are one of the first things cluing you in as you approach Burke’s Garden, Virginia. For about eight years now, this picturesque valley has been the site of one of the more uniquely-located Amish settlements in North America. Photo by zeesstoff/flickr “Mattie” is Mattie Schlabach. She runs one of the handful of retail businesses in the valley, a popular general store…
On our recent post “Nearly 40 Amish Youth Partygoers Arrested,” reader Al in KY commented about an unusual billboard. It can now be seen on the edge of Shipshewana, the center of the northern Indiana Amish community where the arrests occurred: Near the intersection of Hwys 5 and 20 (the main, very busy intersection as you enter Shipshewana from the south), I saw a large…
If you’ve ever wondered why some Amish ride scooters, but not bikes, you’re not alone. It’s a common question. Until now, I’d never really come across a definitive answer – though had hit upon a theory or two over the years. Just why do some Amish communities permit bicycles – but in others, only scooters are used? Well, I have good news. In an…
Reader Lee Annette recently visited Kalona, Iowa – both the town and the surrounding Amish community. Some of you might recall that Don Burke gave us a thorough look at this settlement in 2014, via his set of beautiful winter photos of the area. Photo by Don Burke Kalona is the oldest and largest Amish community in the Hawkeye State, comprising 11 churches in size….
A story published this week by Type Investigations and Cosmopolitan magazine has collected the accounts of victims of sexual abuse in Amish communities. Author Sarah McClure also tallied up cases of abuse by Amish offenders over a two-decade span. McClure reached a total of 52 documented cases of abuse across seven states in her investigation. One judge cited in the story has personally presided over…
We recently saw some wild Amish youth behavior on a small scale, when four Amish youth were charged with offenses including underage drinking and disturbing the peace. That number went up by almost tenfold this past weekend in northern Indiana. Nearly 40 Amish teens and young adults were arrested between two area parties attended by over 200 people, who were, according to police accounts in…