5 Insights From Illinois Amishman Reuben Mast

Reuben and Wilma Mast belong to a New Order Amish church in Ava, Illinois. They live with their 10 children on a farm in this settlement of three church districts. Isaac Smith of The Southern Illinoisan visited the Mast farm on several occasions this spring and summer. His article shares extensive comments from Reuben on Amish life and beliefs. We also get some nice photos of the…

Amish Exile John Shrock Helps Teen Who Left Same Community

Amish Exile John Shrock Helps Teen Who Left Same Community

“The main thing I miss is my family. That’s the only thing I’d like to go back for.” John Shrock was one of several people featured in our recent 3 stories of leaving the Amish post. The now 25-year-old man grew up in a Wisconsin Amish community before leaving at age 17. Now he’s helping a teenager who has left the community as well. It…

New York Vaccination Law Could Keep Amish Schoolchildren Off Buses

New York Vaccination Law Could Keep Amish Schoolchildren Off Buses

From the Salamanca Press: Amish school children in Cattaraugus County will probably have to find another way to school this fall if they currently are transported by school bus along with public school students. New York’s new vaccination regulations eliminating religious exemptions — such as those claimed by the Amish — go into effect this September at the start of the school year. It also…

A Visit To An “Off The Map” Amish Dry Goods Store

A Visit To An “Off The Map” Amish Dry Goods Store

So after I visited Charlotte County, Virginia in April, I wrote about a local Amish variety stand. In that post I mentioned the following, about a different place: As I finished up my purchase, the girl directed me to a dry goods store not too far away. After she gave me directions explaining that it was down a long lane, and I was confident I had…

3 Things You Might Be Surprised To See At An Amish Auction

3 Things You Might Be Surprised To See At An Amish Auction

Articles on Amish auctions are fairly common this time of year. I found this one on the Clearview School Quilt & Consignment Auction (Green County, WI) more interesting than most. Here are 3 things from this auction that jumped out at me: 1. Food Out Of An Amish School Window – Food is not the main purpose of an Amish auction, but it is a…

Amish Girl Shot In Face By BB Gun Fired From Vehicle

Amish Girl Shot In Face By BB Gun Fired From Vehicle

Unlike yesterday’s lead story, this is not of the feel-good variety. The Jamestown Post-Journal reports on an incident which happened Sunday in Warren County, PA: WARREN, Pa. — Information is being sought after a youth riding in an Amish buggy was struck in the face by a BB fired from an SUV in Warren County. According to the Pennsylvania State Police, the incident took place…

Amish & Non-Amish Residents Speak At Buggy Regulations Meeting

Accompanied by their attorney, Amish shared their views on proposed regulations at a standing-room-only supervisors’ meeting in Washington Township (Lycoming County, PA) Monday. Township officials and other residents voiced their views as well. At issue are 3 proposed new requirements for Amish buggies: Horse diapers to prevent manure falling on roadways Rubber horseshoes to prevent damage to roadways 4-inch-high numbering on all four sides of…

Pizzeria Owner Repays Amish Who Helped After 2013 Fire

How about a feel-good story? Delta, Pennsylvania lies in extreme southern York County. Amish live in two places in the county – five or six church districts lying across the Susquehanna river (technically part of the Lancaster County settlement), and a separate stand-alone community. It turns out local Amish have been glad for the generosity of one area business owner. From Reader’s Digest: In 2013,…

The First Amish Settlement in Canada

The First Amish Settlement in Canada

In February we had a look at the first Amish settlement in North America, located at Northkill in Pennsylvania’s Berks County (founded approximately 1740). I recently came across an interesting Ontario historical blog with a photo of a plaque marking the location of the first Amish settlement in Canada, which came about some 80+ years after Northkill. Here’s the text from the plaque: THE FIRST…

PA Township Seeks Horse Diapers, Rubber Horseshoes, & 4-Side-Numbering For Amish Buggies

PA Township Seeks Horse Diapers, Rubber Horseshoes, & 4-Side-Numbering For Amish Buggies

Lycoming County, PA’s Washington Township wants local Amish buggies and their horses to change – in a pretty big way. From Pennlive.com: ELIMSPORT – “Blatant discrimination” is what an attorney for Old Order Amish says about proposed ordinances in a rural Lycoming County township that would require horses on public roads to wear a device to collect feces and to have rubber horseshoes. A third…