What are the boundaries of Amish work? Besides tech limitations, conscience corrals the jobs Amish will do. Morally-questionable businesses are out-of-bounds. For instance, you won’t find Amish working at reservation casinos in Wisconsin, or selling liquor in downtown Philadelphia. But what about working in vineyards? Grape cultivation falls under agriculture, a comfortable occupational zone for Amish. Many Amish have their own home vines, using their…
A reader writes: I took this picture about a month ago in Shipshewana. The surrey buggy on the right is totally different than others in the community. It was a new buggy. I showed the picture to an Amish friend and he said something to the effect of “once and a while you see things like that. Seems like it’s usually new people moving into…
The following is taken from an anonymous obituary found in The Diary. The gentleman in question, a Mr. Stoltzfus, was in his early 80s at the time of death. According to the obit, among other relatives, Stoltzfus was survived by “98 grandchildren; 32 step-grandchildren; 143 great-grandchildren; numerous step-great-grandchildren”. I am always amazed by numbers like these, which are not uncommon for Amish individuals, especially when they…
Al in KY recently reminded me of the photo quiz posts we did last year (wait, I guess I mean 2011, not quite last year anymore). He is right, it’s a nice time to do another. Below you’ll find three photos from three different Amish communities. Your clues: 1) Each is from a different geographical region of America 2) None is from the three largest Amish-population…
We recently looked at how Amish use turbines to harness the wind and create power. But what about when they need to do the reverse–generate a little wind of their own, say to keep cool in the hot summer months (remember those)? You may have seen Amish-engineered ceiling fans before. They are common in Amish shops. You can see one in action here (no longer…
Do you know these Amish-related terms? Why are they important to the Amish? Thanks go out to Linda for suggesting some of these terms. And if you missed it the first time, here is the original 10 Amish terms quiz (with answers in the comments section). 1. Wedding wagon 2. Truck patch 3. Dach-weggeli 4. Crowding the fence 5. Cockscomb 6. Zeugnis 7. Eck ball 8….
Last month we had news that a Swartzentruber Amish settlement in Pennsylvania would likely be coming to an end, with residents heading to greener pastures. One of the destination communities for families in the distintegrating settlement was said to be the Swartzentruber outpost in St. Lawrence County, New York, part of the state’s “North Country”. St. Lawrence County due to its remoteness has so far stayed…
A year ago I noticed a stark change while in an Indiana Amish community. Solar panels and spinning wind turbines had populated many an Amish roof in the 5 years since I’d last visited. Later, in an Amish-owned store in another settlement, I viewed an array of technologies designed to harness the wind and sun. Amish, at least in some places, are taking up these…
Last month when commenting on a favorite Amish restaurant, reader Cherie wondered: A couple of decades ago, Sugarcreek was the major shopping and dining area in Amish Country. Not so much anymore. The Amish tour train no longer operates. The ice cream shop is no more. I don’t understand why Sugarcreek is losing favor with tourists when it is so close to I-77. Perhaps someone…
Amish live in over 600 locations across North America. Some are places of great natural beauty. Scenery is something Amish appreciate – so much so that it may even weigh in the decision of where to start a new settlement. Amish, of course, create their own scenery by their very presence – buggies, windmills, and rural agrarian landscapes have a special charm. Which are the…