Amish use of technology often puzzles outsiders. This is exacerbated when observers see Amish using a piece of technology that doesn’t seem to fit their notion of what the Amish should be. Simply put, people are disappointed when they discover the Amish aren’t as “Amish” as they expected, due to the technologies they allow. Sometimes this leads to accusations that Amish have “betrayed their roots”…
Beth Russo shares photos from the recent Bowling Green, Missouri Amish auction. Amish people frequently patronize auctions and sales of one variety or another. These events can have a treasure hunt aspect to them. Estate sales in particular may yield old furniture, books or other heirlooms. Who knows what you might come across. Here are a some of the things Beth came across at Bowling…
Donald Kraybill, Karen Johnson-Weiner and Steven Nolt have written a new comprehensive book on the Amish, simply entitled The Amish. You probably recognize the authors’ names from numerous books including The Riddle of Amish Culture, New York Amish, A History of the Amish, and many more. Over 500 pages in length, this new collaboration covers the Amish from just about every angle, from history and religious practices…
This circular hanger comes in handy when you need to dry small items like socks, underwear, towels, caps, gloves and so on. They’re often seen around Amish homes. This photo was taken in an Amish shop in Adams County, Indiana.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports on the latest controversy surrounding Sam Mullet and imprisoned members of his community: The federal Bureau of Prisons is forcing some imprisoned members of an Ohio Amish community to study for high school equivalency certificates in violation of their First Amendment rights, a lawyer for the sect contends. Lawyer Edward Bryan, who represents imprisoned Amish bishop Samuel Mullet, said Friday he…
Some time ago I was asked about the famous photo of Amish schoolchildren running away from officials in Iowa. You can see the photo below, taken during an incident in 1965. It was a turbulent time for Amish which ended with the 1972 Wisconsin v. Yoder Supreme Court decision enabling Amish schooling as we know it today. This photo was taken in Buchanan County, Iowa, after…
A couple of things I wanted to bring to your attention: Gravatar Recently I was asked again about getting an image which will appear next to your name when you leave comments. You’ll notice some commenters have custom images and some have the grey silhouette figure (the default image). We use the widely-used “Gravatar” system (“globally-recognized avatar”). If you’d like one, go to gravatar.com and…
Reader Michele purchased an Amish home and converted it to “English”, a process which took about half a year to begin. She had this to say about “living Amish” in the meantime: I don’t know why they are called “simple”…we lived just like Amish for 6 months before our contractor could start our construction. There isn’t one thing “simple” about being Amish. It’s a lot…
Over the years, a number of cases have come to light of Amish who have committed sexual abuse. Many have in turn wondered how prevalent sexual abuse is among the Amish – and why it seems to keep recurring. Certain questions come to mind: Why does sexual abuse happen in some Amish homes and communities? What is it about the Amish church and culture that…
Following up today’s tech conference post, as an example of basic-but-creative Amish technology, we have an “improvised Amish canning range”. The reader who snapped the photo below shares: Many Amish often do their canning in their building entry/wash room or shop building. In Arthur they usually had an old gas stove/range which they kept in the shop or wash room to do their canning on. In Indiana we don’t see that as…