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Amish Controversies

Wisconsin Amish won’t play games to avoid smoke detector fines, possible eviction
ByErik Wesner December 17, 2013February 10, 2015
20 Comments

A conflict over smoke detectors and building permits is unfolding in an Amish community in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin. From the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram: Four cases involving a conflict between traditional Amish ways — particularly when it comes to smoke and carbon monoxide detectors — and modern society are slated for a scheduling conference at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday before Judge Kristina Bourget. The crux of…

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Amish Communities

The Amish of Fort Fairfield, Maine
ByErik Wesner December 16, 2013July 19, 2019
21 Comments

Maine is now home to five Amish settlements, up from three just a few years ago. Thanks to reader Judy for passing along an excellent article on the Amish of the Fort Fairfield area, in Maine’s northernmost county of Aroostook. This piece in Down East Magazine traces the path of the 6-year-old community via interviews with the community’s founder, 45-year-old craftsman Noah Yoder, and a…

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Amish Facts

10 Favorite Amish Place Names
ByErik Wesner December 13, 2013October 11, 2014
58 Comments

There’s one favorite “book” of mine. It has no plot, characters, or author bio. But it’s one which I can spend hours with. That book is a road atlas. One of my favorite killing-time activities is paging through atlases, looking for interesting geographic features, roads, and especially, place names. It’s fun to wonder why there’s a Mexico in Missouri or what’s so normal about Normal,…

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Amish Life

Winter Images by Bill Coleman
ByErik Wesner December 10, 2013February 27, 2025
30 Comments

I grew up in a place that got little snow. When winter weather happened in central North Carolina, it was something special. Now I live in a place that gets a lot of it, and it’s not so special. Is this how it works for everyone? You like winter weather if you don’t get much of it, but live in it, and it gets…

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Amish Controversies

Guardian Drops Attempt to Enforce Chemo on Amish Girl
ByErik Wesner December 9, 2013June 21, 2014
19 Comments

News came Friday that an 11-year-old Amish leukemia patient will not be forced to undergo chemotherapy, pending court approval (article no longer online). Maria Schimer filed Friday to resign her limited guardianship over Sarah Hershberger: But the guardian, Maria Schimer, decided to drop the effort because she doesn’t know where Sarah is now and it has become impossible to monitor her health or make any medical…

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Buggy Accidents

Over 600 Pennsylvania Buggy Accidents since 2003
ByErik Wesner December 6, 2013August 10, 2022
22 Comments

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has put together a graphic showing the number of buggy crashes in Pennsylvania since 2003. The chart displays year-by-year accident totals as well as crash rates for a number of counties with a significant Amish population. Over the past decade, 2006 saw the most accidents, with 78. The fewest were recorded in 2003, with 56. The chart accounts for 665 crashes though…

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Amish Business

Bank of Bird-in-Hand: First New US Bank in 3 Years
ByErik Wesner December 4, 2013December 4, 2013
21 Comments

Back in January we shared news of a planned Amish-backed bank in Lancaster County. Financial Times reports that the Bank of Bird-in-Hand has gotten FDIC approval to open. The bank has raised $17 million in capital. Here’s what caught my eye: In doing so, the bank will become the first new, or de novo, lender to be created in the US since late 2010, bucking a…

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Amish Life

Swartzentruber Country, Ohio (22 Photos)
ByErik Wesner December 2, 2013December 2, 2013
67 Comments

The photos below were taken by a reader over the weekend in the Holmes/Wayne County, OH Amish settlement, in areas populated by Swartzentruber Amish. There are also some photos from the Ashland County Swartzentruber community. I’ve added a few comments here and there. Special thanks to our contributor. Looks like they’ve seen some snow lately. This is the first time I’ve seen a sign like…

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Amish Business

Introducing the Amish Business Directory
ByErik Wesner November 27, 2013
37 Comments

We’ve gradually been building this out over the past couple of years, and though it is not yet complete, I think it’s complete enough to launch. Look up and you’ll see the “Amish Business Directory” link which is now a part of the top menu. In it you’ll find listings of both Amish-owned businesses and companies selling Amish products, including: Amish restaurants Construction companies Quilt…

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Amish Beliefs

How do the Amish prepare their homes for church?
ByErik Wesner November 25, 2013February 4, 2024
31 Comments

What if, instead of simply getting up, dressing in your Sunday best and driving to church, church came to you? What if your home was flooded with 150 people for a three-hour service followed by a couple of hours of eating and visiting? This would be the picture once a year if you were Amish. Your other church Sundays would be spent as one of…

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