A devastating explosion and fire has taken the lives of seven people in a Clinton County, Pennsylvania Amish community – six of them young children. This is the third explosion at an Amish home or school we’ve covered here in the past month. And if bad news comes in threes, this is by far the worst of the bunch. Like the others, this incident also…

In today’s post – part 1 of 3 – Don Burke and Laura Graber take us into the world of Amish horse-drawn transport. Together they look at photos Don has taken over the years in the Jamesport, Missouri Amish community, showing various horse-powered vehicles used by the Amish. Laura, who grew up Amish (and recently shared how she managed eight grades at once as an…

Despite Amish efforts to aid firefighters in extinguishing the blaze, a variety store in the Canton, Missouri Amish settlement burned to the ground yesterday evening. As reported by Michele McCormack in Muddy River News: LEWIS Co., Mo. — Just after 5 p.m. Thursday, a fire erupted at the Amish Variety Store along Highway 81 just north of Canton, Mo. “This is a bad time of…

It’s been a bad couple of weeks for explosions in Amish buildings. Following the Amish schoolhouse explosion in northwestern PA, yesterday a barn and workshop were destroyed in an explosion and fire at an Amish property in Geauga County, Ohio. The cause was reportedly a propane gas leak. A caller reported a “hissing” noise coming from the barn. Fortunately no one was hurt, but based…

Just an awful story out of the New Wilmington, Pennsylvania Amish community. A two-year-old boy has died, after falling into an open septic tank. From New Castle News: The Lawrence County Coroner’s Office and state police investigated the drowning death of a 2-year-old Amish boy who reportedly fell into an open septic tank Saturday. The child, identified as Steven Byler, was discovered deceased around 11…