Pinecraft Amish Community on Ukrainian Travel Show Орёл и Решка (Video)

Pinecraft Amish Community on Ukrainian Travel Show Орёл и Решка (Video)

ByErik Wesner
8 Comments

It’s always interesting to see international media coverage of the Amish. Attention can come from places you wouldn’t expect. On that note, Taste of Pinecraft author Sherry Gore appeared on a recent episode of the Ukrainian travel program Орёл и Решка (Orel i Reshka). This is a Russian-language program viewed by millions throughout Russian-speaking countries. The gist of the program is that the two celebrity…

A Visit to The Amish of Halifax County, VA (18 Photos)

A Visit to The Amish of Halifax County, VA (18 Photos)

ByErik Wesner
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Like my visit to Enon Valley, PA in December, I only had a brief time at the Amish community at Halifax County, VA. I was returning home from my multi-state Amish trip after 2000+ miles traveled. And as you’ll see from these photos, it was the end of the day. Still, it was worth the journey, mainly for one family I met while there. The Amish of Halifax…

Eagles, Parakeets & Hummingbirds: “Pud” Sam Stoltzfus on Amish Youth Groups

ByErik Wesner
4 Comments

“Pud” Sam Stoltzfus is a retired Amish farmer and gazebo builder known throughout the Lancaster County community for his outspoken nature. He has been a frequent writer of letters to the local Lancaster paper, an impromptu spokesman for the Amish in some sense. If you get a chance to meet him, you probably won’t forget it. Pud Sam is a historian, grandfather to 51, and…

A Visit to Boyd & Wurthmann Restaurant – Berlin, Ohio (8 Photos)

A Visit to Boyd & Wurthmann Restaurant – Berlin, Ohio (8 Photos)

ByErik Wesner
32 Comments

If you’re hungry in Holmes County, you could do a lot worse than Boyd & Wurthmann. This restaurant, located in “downtown” Berlin, is a local institution, serving up sandwiches and hearty meals for 70+ years. I visited in December, again with my friend Rich Stevick. It’s a circa-1940s restaurant and it kind of has that atmosphere (I wasn’t around then, but I can imagine). I think…

Six Examples of Amish Church Rules

Six Examples of Amish Church Rules

ByErik Wesner
17 Comments

The Amish are well-known for living by specific rules on technology, dress, and other aspects of daily life. But Amish churches are not all the same. Some are more traditional, and others more progressive. Some do things one way, and others do things another way. So how do Amish people know all the dos and don’ts of their churches? The Ordnung (Church Rules) This information…

Over 200 Amish Have Taught in Mexico Since 2000

Over 200 Amish Have Taught in Mexico Since 2000

ByErik Wesner
10 Comments

Have you ever heard about the Amish in Mexico? It’s quite a remarkable story. No, there are no Mexican Amish communities (at least not anymore). But thanks to their outreach to a group of spiritual kin, the Amish have had a regular presence in Mexico for the last two decades. Old Colony Mennonites are an Anabaptist group with some cultural similarities to Amish, including Plain…

Four Amish Business Fires Since Mid-January; One Ruled Arson

ByErik Wesner
18 Comments

I don’t how much of an anomaly this might be, but it seems there have been an awful lot of fires striking Amish businesses lately. In the past few weeks, there have been at least four significant Amish business fires: January 14 – Spring Mills, PA (Centre County): Diamond Custom Kitchens burns down (the Amish opted not to call the fire department, for reasons, I…

Amish Church Clothing (8 Photos)

Amish Church Clothing (8 Photos)

ByErik Wesner
32 Comments

What do Amish wear to church? In addition to their many women’s head coverings, the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center also has several items of church clothing on display. The Woman’s Cape & Apron First of all, a woman’s cape and apron: The cape and apron are commonly worn on Sunday across communities (we had a look recently at Amish wedding clothing, showing another example of…

Reader Photos – Amish Clock Shop, William Penn Land Doc, & More

Reader Photos – Amish Clock Shop, William Penn Land Doc, & More

ByErik Wesner
14 Comments

I’ve got some nice photos shared by readers over the past months, which I’ve been wanting to pass along to you. We’ve also got one piece of writing. Here we go! 1. Amish Timepiece Shop – First of all, long-time readers might recall a 2012 post on Mahlon Shetler’s Clock & Watch Shop in Dayton, NY. That post was based on photos and comments from another…

Amish Teen Girl Rescued From Buggy During Flood

Amish Teen Girl Rescued From Buggy During Flood

ByErik Wesner
13 Comments

A 17-year-old Amish girl was rescued Thursday from atop her buggy during a flood in Wayne County, Ohio. From the Massillon Independent: Brewster Fire Department personnel rescued the 17-year-old girl who had been driving the horse-drawn buggy, which had been swept into the high water along the rural roadway. According to Lt. Roger Carpenter of the Brewster Fire Department, the teen was sitting atop the…