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. Â 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. Â 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. Â There isn’t one thing “simple” about being Amish. Â 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…
The second coming of Breaking Amish–“Breaking Amish: Brave New World” arrived last night. This season (or “spin-off” as the TLC network has been calling it) has taken the cast and placed them in the Pinecraft neighborhood of Sarasota, Florida.  I wasn’t surprised when I heard of the choice, for a couple of reasons: Filming in Pinecraft they can remain in an urban environment, in line with…
A reader in Indiana shares: The fences around here are used as a “lost and found.” I have seen halters, lead ropes, buggy wheel rubbers and the most common item — horseshoes hanging from the fences lines in the Elkhart – LaGrange community. Perishable items like clothes, expensive items like batteries, or small items like bike lights are usually picked up and then listed in…
This year (2026) Ascension Day – commemorating Jesus’ physical ascension into heaven – is Thursday, May 14th. The date changes each year, falling on the 40th day following Easter Sunday. Interestingly, Ascension Day is observed by Amish in some places – but not in others. Ascension Day: Observance in Different Amish Communities The Amish in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania are among those who do observe Ascension…
Certain Amish surnames occur with great frequency. Here are ten of the most common: 1. Miller The most common of all Amish last names. Joseph Stoll writes: “The German spelling was Müller, and because there were many Millers in Europe, the name was very common, with no common ancestor for many people of this name. There were a number of Anabaptists of this name in…