In 1991, there were 215 Amish settlements in North America. 20 years later, the number was 427 (see this 20-year review at the Amish Studies site). The Amish population doubles every 2 decades (give or take). But this doesn’t mean that existing communities just double in size. As they grow, Amish move. Big communities lose members to daughter settlements. Smaller settlements shed residents too, as Amish form new churches…
Today we’ve got a Q-and-A with Keith and Laura James, founders of Amish Workshops. I’ve been looking forward to this interview because I think it’s quite an interesting look at how an Amish-oriented business gets started and operates. Amish family businesses benefit from and rely on relationships with non-Amish people. As Keith and Laura’s story shows, it can be rewarding on many levels. Running this…
On a recent “Name that Amish community” post, the question came up of Amish living in British Columbia, Canada. In fact, no Amish live in British Columbia, though other Anabaptist peoples, including Old Colony Mennonites and Vietnamese Mennonites, live in the province (see Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites). Today, Amish in Canada live only in Ontario, in over a dozen settlements. That…
Adair Faust (Ethridge Amish photos) shares one more photo along with an Amish Gingerich anecdote: I stopped at a roadside stand at the Gingerich house on MacDowell Road (I mention the road because there are zillions of Gingerich mailboxes all over the area – see below). Mrs. Gingerich, a wonderfully cheerful, energetic, and friendly lady, came out and we chatted while I bought bread and…
You might remember some photos of the Ethridge, Tennessee Amish shared by reader Adair Faust. She has kindly sent in another batch from a recent visit. You can see the fall colors are in full swing in this conservative Amish community: Read more on the Ethridge Amish community, the largest settlement in the Volunteer State.
Over the past decade, Amish fiction–and in particular the romance novel–has boomed in popularity. Valerie Weaver-Zercher joins us today to discuss the genre, including the history of the Amish romance (not as new as you might think), who reads–and writes–Amish romances, and what Amish think about them. Valerie is a writer and editor whose work has been published in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The…
A sign you often see outside Amish shops. This one is from the North Carolina Amish community at Union Grove. Are Plain businesses the only places where “modesty is appreciated” anymore? Asheville, NC Amish Furniture
You often hear how Amish are highly law-abiding–that is, except when it’s come to the “important issues” of conscience, like military participation, schooling, etc. I’m not so sure though. Warning: I’m going to generalize a bit in this post. That said, I also detect a fairly defiant approach to government on the part of some Amish. This can go beyond simple grumbling about regulations and…
This summer in Ashland County, Ohio, enticed by a sign advertising “Cashew Crunch Candy”, I paid a visit to a random Amish farm. While, sadly, the candy seller was unavailable, the resident farmer and I ended up having a nice chat. The fellow had just moved on to his new property; the previous owner had left for an Amish settlement in New York. Ashland County…
How about another edition of “Name that Amish community“. Can you tell where these 3 photos were taken? (UPDATE note: each is from a different settlement) Photo 1: Photo 2: Photo 3: