I’m a big fan of trains. There is something about riding the rails that is impossible to replicate in any other form of transportation. Perhaps it’s the feeling of open-country freedom, or the sheer might of the multi-ton machine, or the leaving-the-station romance that train travel conjures. Trains seem to fit Europe. Roads are generally poorer, fuel more expensive, and population clustered dense in cities….
After regretting (on the original buggy sign post) that we had no Allen County, Indiana sign, reader Torey has kindly shared this photo, taken near the town of Grabill. You may be aware that Amish in Allen County are considered “Swiss Amish”. Swiss Amish differ in a few ways from most other Amish (most Amish are considered to be of “Pennsylvania German” ethnicity). Swiss Amish…
The familiar yellow buggy warning sign tells drivers “Amish ahead”. But there is no standardized design. So the signs you see can vary. Below, twelve examples of Amish buggy warning signs you’ll find across America – and one from outside our borders. From Dauphin County, near Elizabethville, Pennsylvania. Dauphin County is home to a sizeable Lancaster Amish daughter settlement. Taken near the aptly-named Plainville, New…
Happy Groundhog Day! (UPDATED BELOW) Something tells me that with the weather lately, old Punxsutawney Phil might just see his shadow, dooming us to 6 weeks more winter. Punxsutawney, of course, is the central Pennsylvania town known for holding the most prominent Groundhog Day celebration, complete with a tuxedoed band of residents known as the “Inner Circle” who care for Phil and interpret his prognostications….
After yesterday’s look into the future, a glance at the past. These images of Lancaster County were adapted from 35mm slides, courtesy of Russ Glasson. Hex signs, as seen above, are commonly associated with Pennsylvania Dutch culture, though you won’t find them on Amish barns. These were apparently all taken in 1963. How different Lancaster County must have looked then. The county’s population has nearly…
Once, an Amish acquaintance with an interest in numbers showed me a few calculations. He had worked out the theoretical Amish population far into the future, using the assumption that it doubles every 20 years. The numbers get big quickly. Total Amish population (currently 250,000) hits a million sometime in the 2050s, and rockets from there. A recent academic study (on the spread of a…
I’ve written about how Amish sometimes make goods for upscale retailers, such as a pair of Pennsylvania Amish brothers who produce leather place settings and picture frames for Ralph Lauren. Now it looks like Amish apple butter has made the big time. Gourmet food company Dean and Deluca is offering apple butter made by Amish bakery Rise ‘n Roll. Rise ‘n Roll is described in its…
One of the highlights of President Obama’s State of the Union speech last night was a call for clean energy. The president put forth a goal: “by 2035, 80% of America’s electricity will come from clean energy sources.” “Clean energy” in this case means “wind and solar…nuclear, clean coal, and natural gas”. To me, that sounds a bit ambitious. Solar currently accounts for less than…
I recently came across a few images of Amish-themed murals. This first one is found on Bahia Vista boulevard in the Florida Amish community at Pinecraft, Sarasota. I’m not really an art person, but I usually enjoy murals when I meet them in my travels. Maybe it’s just the element of the unexpected, in finding a massive piece of artwork outdoors. I also like how…
Reader Michelle V recently asked: do Amish play football? Well, here’s a bit of evidence that they do, courtesy of Rick Harrison, who took the above photo at the 2009 mud sale at Georgetown in Lancaster County. While football is not as popular as softball or volleyball, the ole pigskin does get tossed around, especially by Amish boys. Interest in the sport varies. Some don’t…