Michigan Mary, who commented earlier on the Ohio Amish shooting, has shared some photos taken in Holmes County last week. In my neck of the woods we just hit winter–both technically and meteorologically speaking, with the season’s first snowfall yesterday. Looks like they’ve had a bit of the same lately in Ohio. Exotic animal farm. There are a couple of these in Holmes County–the…
Rachel Yoder was killed by a stray bullet from a hunter’s rifle, according to new reports. A hunter was getting ready to clean his weapon about a mile and a half away, and discharged the firearm into the air. In the most recent news piece I can find, Holmes County Sherriff Timothy Zimmerly describes it as “in all probability” accidental. If there is any “good…
Following yesterday’s post on the Ohio Amish shooting, there was some discussion on the group of Amish victim Rachel Yoder belonged to. Rachel was apparently a member of the Andy Weaver Amish, which is colloquially known as the “Dan” Church (thanks to Michigan Mary, who was about a mile away at the time of the shooting Thursday, for filling in some gaps). Rachel’s home community…
Sad story: late last week a 15-year-old Amish girl was shot and killed while returning home by buggy in the Holmes County, Ohio Amish settlement. Rachel M. Yoder was coming back from a Christmas party for employees of the produce business she worked for. The shooting apparently happened a few miles east of Fredericksburg, near the Holmes/Wayne County border. Police are treating her death as…
Lisa Kuhn writes: i am a 57 year old woman who has a number of chronic disabilities. this is very isolating for me as i am pretty much bed-bound. i have faith in god which helps of course, but i do not really have any family so this makes things much harder. i used to be very active and was a high school english and…
If you’ve ever searched for photos of the Amish, chances are you’ve come across the work of Bill Coleman. Bill has spent decades capturing images of Amish in a remote Pennsylvania community. Many of the photos–of buggies, weddings, and the changing seasons–are simply stunning, while others–such as his portraits of children–reveal a closeness Bill has achieved with his many subjects over the years. I had…
I recently heard that a number of Amish in the Lancaster County community have begun using regular electric washers (like any English home might have, except powered by the diesel generator). With the widely-used wringer washers (ie, the old Maytag style), the clothes are still pretty wet when you finish. Using a regular washer, the spin cycle forces a lot of that extra water out,…
You might remember my review of the Connection Amish magazine from earlier in the year, in which I described it as “one of my favorites” and “pretty packed with information and material”. While in Topeka, Indiana this summer I was heading down main street and glanced over at a pleasant-looking but otherwise non-descript little building on the south side of the avenue. Looking closer, what…
Continuing our look at relics of the past, the one-room schoolhouse. I think the country schoolhouse definitely fits the category of cultural items that have come and gone in North America (but for a few pockets here and there). The Amish are probably the most obvious example of a group maintaining the small rural school tradition. I love old one-room school buildings. You still see…
Some Amish companies spend a good bit of cash on advertising. But for many, the simple roadside sign is the furthest extent of their self-promotion. I’ve collected a few examples from around the country here. I wonder if you can tell which communities these are from. There are 7 states represented in the 10 photos below. These images give you a sense of the range…