A few weeks ago, a fire broke out in a home in the Harmony Amish settlement, the largest in Minnesota. A bishop and his 18-year-old-son lost their lives. Since that time, both the local Amish community, as well as English neighbors (for anyone new, “English” is the term most, but not all, Amish use to refer to non-Amish people) have come together to help the remaining family,…
Rebecca Miller belongs to the large Old Order Amish community in Holmes County, Ohio. She’s previously shared a week’s diary in the life of an Amish girl, as well as two journals from trips to Niagara Falls and Mackinac Island. Amish people, especially younger folks, often contribute to disaster relief projects via Mennonite Disaster Service or other organizations. Many Amish and Mennonite volunteers have helped rebuild in the…
Amish have been considering a move to Canada’s Prince Edward Island province since 2014. With the recent purchase of land by members of two different Ontario communities, it looks like that is about to happen. From peicanada.com: Mr Wallbank recently moved to the Dundas area from Ontario himself, purchasing a farm where he will be doing draft horse farming similar to the Amish. Currently there…
There’s a nice story making the rounds about a man named Matthew Secich who recently joined the Amish community at Unity, Maine. If the name of that community rings a bell, you may have seen it discussed here before. Here is one reader’s account of a visit to the settlement, and a look at what makes the community unusual. Secich is apparently a well-known and successful chef, who’s…
You might read this post title and assume that an unfortunate Amish buggy driver was the victim in this accident. And I wouldn’t blame you. That’s usually the case. But in this instance the tables were turned, when a non-Amish woman was hit by a buggy seemingly “out of nowhere.” Victoria Ulrick was driving in Gladwin County, Michigan, home to two Amish settlements, when a passing buggy veered into…
This updated post on the Amish & Old Christmas was originally published in 2011. If you missed it the first time, here’s another look at the story behind this tradition, observed on January 6 in Amish communities. What is Old Christmas? How do Amish celebrate Old Christmas? Not all Amish observe Old Christmas Old Christmas History Other Amish Holidays What is Old Christmas – and…
Here’s footage from a home fire which occurred Saturday evening in the Amish community at Oak Grove, Kentucky. Due to the intensity of the blaze, seven fire companies were called in to help, with one injury. The blaze was sparked by a gas motor in a freezer, which ignited a 300-gallon tank of gasoline creating a huge explosion, completely destroying the home and the business,…
As we close the books on the last day of 2015, it’s always nice to take a look back at the previous 365. Every year has its ups and downs. I hope yours was overall a good one, and that 2016 is only better. Here on the blog, I’ve collected some favorite posts from the previous year. In this case “favorite” means either highly-viewed, highly-commented, or simply ones…
On several previous occasions we’ve looked at photos taken in Amish homes, including an Ohio home as well as a farmhouse in New York state. But we haven’t seen a lot of video footage from inside Amish homes. However I recently came across the below video taken in what appears to be a Lancaster County Amish home. In this two-and-a-half minute video, the Amishman who…
Reader Frank shares a few photos from a recent visit to Holmes County, Ohio. No snow in these shots, but lots of nice views. Frank also passes along two anecdotes demonstrating the friendly community feel of the area. If you’ve ever spent time in Holmes County, home to over 30,000 Amish people, you won’t be surprised: While shopping at Hershberger’s Store outside Berlin, an elderly gentleman explained to…