Coming on the heels of the Wisconsin building code exemption, another conflict involving Amish appears to have been resolved last week in Heuvelton, New York (St. Lawrence County). As reported in the Watertown Daily Times, area Amish have agreed to nearly double the amount of reflective tape used on their buggies (the group in question objects to using the orange SMV triangle; for a summary of the case, go here)….
Ohio Amish church member Rebecca Miller takes us inside the Amish recipe book with seven meals, one for each day of the week. Of course I got hungry just reading these, and I predict the same will happen to you. Below you’ll find ideas for breakfast, dessert, “quick and easy” meals, and a Saturday night family favorite. Which of these sounds best to you? Do you plan…
Amish in Wisconsin will no longer be required to install smoke detectors in their homes after a new exemption was signed into law last week. You may recall that Amish in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin had come into conflict with authorities after failing to secure building permits which would obligate them to install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Some Amish in the area had been evicted, while some had…
We’ve got the second batch of answers to your questions on the Amish, courtesy of Merlyn Yoder in northern Indiana. If you missed it, here are Merlyn’s replies to the first 17 questions. Below, you’ll find responses to 16 more. Today’s questions cover everything from waking up early to celebrating Christmas to tracking the weather to former Amish clothing. Thanks to everyone who asked a question, and a…
How is the average Amish woman different from her non-Amish counterpart? This article was inspired by a reader request. This list shouldn’t be read as a critique. As I note below, these differences reflect realities of Amish culture and community. Important: of course, I’m necessarily generalizing here – both about “modern” women, and the Amish. There are definitely some non-Amish women who would fit the…
We’ve had a number of looks at off-the-beaten path Amish communities lately, from the new settlement in northeastern Vermont to the Garnett, Kansas community to the Unity settlement in Maine. Today, reader Jerry takes us to another in that category–a community tucked away in an unusual valley in the southwestern end of Virginia. The following is Jerry’s account of his trip to the Burke’s Garden…
Wild youth behavior is a reality for some English adolescents, and for a segment of Amish youth as well. Jim Cates returns with a look at those youth–some of whom soon find themselves in quite different circumstances. Not Your Mama’s Amish Long before Wal-Mart discovered that “Back in Black” was a catchy musical backdrop for its television ads, the youngie in Topeka, Indiana were regularly blasting…
What happens at an Amish funeral? In today’s post, Rebecca Miller shares an account of a funeral which took place in her community. Rebecca is a member of an Old Order Amish church in Holmes County, Ohio. She is a schoolteacher, and also works at the Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center (Berlin, OH). Over the past couple of months, Rebecca has kindly offered her knowledge of her…
A recent story on Vermont Public Radio suggests Amish are starting a new community in Vermont, a state with no other Amish presence. From the article on the Orleans County town of Brownington: At the other end of the village, Amish families are starting to move from Pennsylvania into this unlikely melting pot in the Northeast Kingdom. And: As you weave your way through tree-lined dirt…
We received dozens of questions in our recent “Ask an Amish Person” post, covering everything from gardening to child discipline to challenges and rewards of being Amish. Indiana Amishman Merlyn Yoder has responded to a good chunk–about 17 of them–below. We’re calling this “part 1” as I’m hoping we’ll receive further responses, if Merlyn’s schedule allows. But either way, a big thanks to Merlyn for his efforts here….