Kentucky Amish Farmer Goes On Trial Over Homemade Health Products

Kentucky Amish Farmer Goes On Trial Over Homemade Health Products

ByErik Wesner
30 Comments

Samuel Girod’s federal trial began this week. The Kentucky Amish farmer made and sold several homemade products, some of which suggested bold curative properties, in a business running for over 20 years. These include a “black salve” called “To-Mor-Gone” (with a sales pamphlet claiming it to be “very good at removing tumors”), and a “Chickweed Salve” which had the words “Cures Cancer” on the container. This WKYT article summarizes…

5 (Mid-Decade) Amish Population Facts That Might Surprise You

ByErik Wesner
14 Comments

Where have the Amish been settling lately? How rapidly are they growing? Where are the Amish “hot spots” on the map? Over the past half-decade or so, the Amish have boosted their presence on the US (and world) map by adding communities in new, often never-before-settled places. These include four new states (Vermont, South Dakota, Wyoming and Idaho), a pair of Canadian provinces (New Brunswick and Prince Edward…

Ohio Amishman Has Survived 14 Buggy Accidents

Ohio Amishman Has Survived 14 Buggy Accidents

ByErik Wesner
22 Comments

Levi Shetler is a member of the conservative Swartzentruber Amish. This group is known for a very low-tech lifestyle. Even other Amish comment on the austerity of their lives and aversion to technology. Last month, Shetler’s buggy was hit by a vehicle in his northeastern Ohio community, resulting in the death of a passenger. As it turns out, this is the 54-year-old Amishman’s 14th buggy accident….

Rainbows and Sunshine: A New Publication for Children (Win a 1-Year Subscription)

Rainbows and Sunshine: A New Publication for Children (Win a 1-Year Subscription)

ByErik Wesner
98 Comments

On my recent trip to the Amish community in Lancaster County, I had a chance to visit with Freida Stoltzfus, creator and editor of a new publication called Rainbows and Sunshine. Today I’ll share a bit about that visit, some words from Freida, and then you’ll have a chance to enter to win a year’s subscription (to enter, simply leave a comment on this post)….

The Amish of Canton, Missouri (42 Photos)

The Amish of Canton, Missouri (42 Photos)

ByDon Burke
14 Comments

Don Burke shares some photos from a visit to the Amish community at Canton, Missouri (Lewis County). This nearly four-decade-old settlement was three church districts in size as of last year (2023). Canton is one of many Amish places in the Show-Me State. Today Amish live in over 60 locations in Missouri. These photos were actually taken in early 2015. I hope you enjoy this…

Can You Guess The 12 Items On This Amish “Mystery Breakfast” Menu? (Updated with Answers)

Can You Guess The 12 Items On This Amish “Mystery Breakfast” Menu? (Updated with Answers)

ByErik Wesner
9 Comments

A fun culinary event enjoyed by Amish youth at Belle Center, Ohio, is the “mystery supper”. Participants receive a menu of creatively-named items to riddle through, and have a time limit in which to make their picks for each of three courses. Guess poorly, and you can end up with, for example, only utensils and water for one of your courses. A few years ago, Belle Center…

2017 Lancaster County Mud Sale Schedule

ByErik Wesner
3 Comments

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…

5 Surprising Things About Amish Buggies

5 Surprising Things About Amish Buggies

ByErik Wesner
70 Comments

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…

Amish Buggy Skiing (Video)

Amish Buggy Skiing (Video)

ByErik Wesner
16 Comments

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…

A Beautiful Morning in Lancaster County (16 Photos)

A Beautiful Morning in Lancaster County (16 Photos)

ByErik Wesner
46 Comments

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…