How far would you go to discover your origin? A recent AP story tells the fascinating and moving tale of Diane Bell, who was abandoned as a three-month-old on an Amish farmhouse porch: Forty years ago, a widowed Amish woman and her daughter watched from their window late one night as someone in dark clothing walked up to their farmhouse near Gordonville, Lancaster County, and left…
Each year the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies publishes Amish population estimates on their Amish Studies web site. As of today those are not yet available. However this AP report previews some of the details of the population survey, with input from senior scholar Steven Nolt. Here are 3 takeaways from the article: 1. South America – First–and somewhat surprisingly–there are now two Amish settlements in South…
Bill and Tricia Moser joined the Amish 20 years ago. In an essay for The Washington Post, Bill Moser shares five lessons he and his wife learned from their experience. The Mosers are described as being “motivated by a desire to live out their faith in a more moment-by-moment way.” They came from an upper-middle class suburban background, with careers in architecture and occupational therapy. Below are the…
There’s a good chance you’ve heard the story of a former Amish family who “gifted” one of their underage daughters to a man who provided them financial aid (if not, the details can be found here among many other places). Over the past several days this bizarre story has gone worldwide (I’ve seen it in Russian, Chinese, and Australian media). Part of the reason is the…
It might surprise you to read the words “Amish” and “heroin” in the same sentence. But Amish people are hardly immune to the scourge of drug abuse. Amish in Wayne County, Indiana recently invited former addict and anti-heroin campaigner Michael DeLeon to speak to their community. RTV6 did a story on the meeting, accompanied by a pair of videos. In the first video below (videos unavailable),…
If you’ve ever been to one of the all-you-can-eat buffets that dot the Lancaster County tourist landscape, you know it’s hard to leave hungry. “Smorgasbord” feels like the perfect word here. A recent article at eater.com takes us inside three Lancaster smorgasbords: Bird-In-Hand Family Restaurant, Miller’s, and the big daddy of them all, Shady Maple, which seats up to 1,200 people and boasts over 100,000 square feet…
Who are the Old Colony Mennonites, and why are the Amish helping them improve their schooling? Ohio Amish church member Rebecca Miller returns today with some background on the people, and how the Amish became involved in educational outreach south of the border. A few quick points about this Anabaptist group, related to the Amish: They live in countries including Mexico, Bolivia, Paraguay, Belize, and Canada…
Amish involvement in the dog breeding industry has gotten a lot of attention over the years, in particular due to several highly-publicized cases involving mistreated animals. The term “puppy mill” is often used to describe these businesses (and is sometimes extended to describe breeders in general). Amish are aware of the negative perception. The Lafayette Journal & Courier reports that Amish breeders in the Daviess County,…
That’s the question a pair of articles have addressed, following the launch of a Political Action Committee (PAC) seeking to motivate Amish to vote in Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Amish PAC’s plans are to reach potential Amish voters via advertisements in three newspapers targeted to the Lancaster County and Holmes County communities, and via billboards in Holmes County. The PAC’s outreach director, Ben King, grew…
After last week’s look at the Belleville auction and Amish farming, Jerry returns to take us on a little drive through Big Valley: The Big Valley is alive and well with Amish settlements. When you drive out into the country you see schools everywhere. It almost appears that you can find one every four miles. Most look fairly new, simple, modest one room structures with…