Each year, a cycle of special auctions called mud sales kicks off in the late winter/early spring months in the Lancaster County area. Mud sales have been a tradition in the community for generations. From a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article on the sales: The mud sales were started about 50 years ago, in part to give local farmers a chance to obtain new or used equipment as…
Popular Mechanics recently published an in-depth look at the Amish buggy. The main source for this story was an unidentified Amish buggy maker in Lancaster County, PA. Amish buggies have all sorts of technology built into them, from the lighting, to the brakes, to the suspension system. As article author Matthew Jancer writes: You might have thought the technology inside this 1800s method of transportation stopped progressing…
Here’s a short video of an Amish person skiing while being pulled by a buggy along the roadside. This comes from the Lowville community in upstate New York, home to two Amish churches. Looks like some young guys out enjoying the snow. A Lowville resident shot the video last week (mute your sound if you don’t want the background music). This isn’t the first time…
I arrived Thursday evening in Lancaster County, will be staying with Amish friends here for the next several days. I was out and about yesterday and snapped a few photos to share. It was a brisk, beautiful morning. Below are a few of the things I saw. I meant to post this for you yesterday, but let’s just say the internet is limited around here…
I’ve been glad to have DutchCrafters as a long-time advertiser on this site. I thought it would be nice to hear a bit about how this furniture business got started, and how it works with Plain craftsmen today. Below, DutchCrafters CEO Jim Miller shares answers to five questions about his interactions with the Amish and how his business works. I hope you enjoy it. Special thanks to Milca…
You may remember the story of Amish convert Matthew Secich of the Unity, Maine Amish community. Secich was previously a well-known chef working in upscale restaurants, before becoming a member of the Unity community last autumn, where he lives with his wife Crystal. Now Secich runs Charcuterie, a store specializing in specialty meats and cheeses. He ran into challenges earlier this year when health regulations threatened…
The Lancaster County Amish traditionally have their weddings in the autumn, following the busy season of farm work. This tradition has generally held even as it has changed in other communities (Amish in Holmes County, for instance, hold weddings in other months, including May and June). But the Amish in Lancaster County do adapt to changing needs. Jennifer Kopf shares the idea behind a recent innovation…
Two years ago, reader Shawn gave us a nice look at the Giles County, Virginia Amish community (also referred to by the name of Pearisburg, an area town). This Appalachian community is tucked away in the scenic mountains of western Virginia. Though I’ve previously visited Amish in VA and have passed within shouting distance several times on visits to Amish Ohio, regrettably I’ve never stopped in…
We haven’t done a “5 Points” list in quite awhile, so I thought it might be a good day for one. Below are five modern conveniences that you’ll find in some or even many Amish settlements. The usual caveats apply – not all Amish use all of these. Ever encountered anything on this list in your dealings with the Amish? 1. Solar Panels Ever drive through an Amish community and…
The 20-family Smyrna Mills, Maine Amish community, founded in 1996, is the oldest in a state with relatively few Amish. A recent article in the Bangor Daily News visits a Smyrna Mills Amish business, Sturdi-Bilt Storage Buildings, a maker of portable structures including sheds and tiny homes. You can lean more about it in the short video below. You’ll also notice one unusual element in this community…