It was just three months ago that three young Amish siblings were killed in a buggy crash in southern Michigan. Tragically, the story has repeated itself, in another part of the state. This time, it seems alcohol was not involved. The driver struck the children’s buggy as they returned home from school. From Lansing State Journal: In Wednesday’s crash, the four Amish siblings were in…
You might have noticed that Amish settlements tend to cluster together on the map. Especially in high-Amish-population states, many communities lie within a short drive or even buggying distance. In fact, most individual Amish settlements are going to be within a half-hour to an hour’s car drive from at least one other settlement. Even when Amish settle multiple communities in a new distant state, they…
This is what an Amish buggy equipped with a stereo system looks like. These are big speakers and can surely put out some noise: It’s unclear if they were turned on when sheriff’s deputies pulled this buggy over in the Geauga County Amish community. The occupants of the carriage promptly ran off. From wspa.com: Just before 1 a.m., Trumbull County sheriff’s deputies said they saw…
A month ago we looked at the first Amish settlement in Canada – that of Milverton, Ontario. In the post I referenced a quote from Fred Lichti, a Mennonite pastor who lives in nearby Elmira. Fred had this to say in a talk on the community: These Amish in the Milverton area have continued to worship in homes on Sunday mornings. They had little growth…
Amish began moving to Manistee County, Michigan in the summer of 2018. A year later, there are nine families in this county which borders Lake Michigan, with more expected. In a nice article at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, three of those families share some insights on Amish life, and how they’ve adapted in the new community. 1. David and Barbara Hershberger David is the bishop…
I missed this odd story when it appeared in late August. Someone is stealing hemp plants from two Amish farmers in Chester County (part of the greater Lancaster County settlement). I wasn’t even aware Amish were growing hemp, which is used to make a wide array of products including clothing, rope, insulation, plastics, and biofuel. And there is a reason – this is all quite…
Do you remember the “Amish Seventh-Day Adventists“? Andy and Naomi Weaver, former members of a Swartzentruber Amish church, were featured in a post here two years ago. They had been interviewed for an article and Seventh-day Adventist television program, telling the story of how they left the Amish for the Adventist faith. Not long ago I came across another video on YouTube connected with the…
Sometimes you just know a place is “Amish” at first sight. That was the case as we drove by and spotted Pineview Bulk Food & Deli, just a couple of miles outside the quaint town of Farmville, Virginia. I had a couple of addresses of Amish places in the community, but found my phone signal was so weak that I couldn’t get Google Maps to…
How do Amish pay medical bills, if they don’t have health insurance? We get a look at how some Amish handle this in a new piece on Cincinnatti Public Radio. Amish famously do not use commercial health insurance, opting to rely on their own churches and extended communities when the need is great. And while a “pass-the-hat” approach may have been more common in the…
I found this article in the Washington Times Herald to offer a positive example of Amish and authorities working to solve a common problem – road damage cause by horses and buggies. This is a breath of fresh air compared to the way similar conflicts seem to be addressed in some places. The Amish in Daviess County, Indiana already pay $60 for buggy licenses to…