Family Life, The Budget, and Raber’s Bookstore- addresses and ordering info

ByErik Wesner
43 Comments

Plain publications help Amish maintain ties and promote Old Order Christian values Amish produce a number of newspapers, books, and other publications.  Following is ordering information for three Amish resources: Family Life-a general-interest magazine from Pathway Publishers in Ontario The Budget-Sugarcreek, Ohio newspaper which covers both local news, and produces a “national edition” with letters from Amish scribes Raber’s Bookstore-an Ohio Amish-owned bookstore that carries…

Do Amish have wings?

ByErik Wesner
24 Comments

My Amish friend Aaron recently informed me of a curious entry into the Red Bull Flugtag contest. But first, Aaron had to explain what Flugtag actually is. Flugtag is a “flight” competition the Austrian energy drink* maker puts on each year. Teams ride homemade contraptions down a 30-foot high ramp, jumping and soaring into water below.  “Flugtag” (pronounced “flewg tallg”) means “fly day” in German,…

New to Amish America: The Amish Online Encyclopedia

ByErik Wesner
10 Comments

I’ve been looking forward to this new addition to Amish America for a long time.  Various questions seem to recur on Amish topics.  I thought it might be nice to put together a resource to try to answer some of those questions. The Amish Online Encyclopedia (AOE) covers a variety of subjects including Amish culture, beliefs, the different Amish affiliations, occupations, education, transportation, and so…

My First Visit To The Ethridge (TN) Amish

My First Visit To The Ethridge (TN) Amish

ByErik Wesner
214 Comments

Update: I wrote the following after my first visit to the South’s largest Amish community way back in 2010. I didn’t know a lot about it, other than it was a very traditional community. I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly the Amish at Ethridge were. I hope you enjoy my impressions from the Ethridge Amish community. If you end up visiting maybe you’ll experience…

Authors Charles Hurst and David McConnell on An Amish Paradox

ByErik Wesner
88 Comments

I recently read a book I’d been looking forward to for a long time. An Amish Paradox: Diversity and Change in the World’s Largest Amish Community is an in-depth look at the Amish settlement at Holmes County, Ohio, and one of the most interesting books on the Amish I have read. In Ohio last month I had the pleasure of meeting the book’s authors, Charles…

Controversies over Amish manure and aching backs

ByErik Wesner
6 Comments

A couple more articles caught my eye over the past few days.  Many people have likely already seen the article from yesterday’s NYT on Amish farms damaging the Chesapeake Bay through farm runoff. This issue has existed for a number of years, but this was interesting to see written about for a couple reasons:  one in that it offers another example of an Amishman accepting…

Amish moving to Colorado

ByErik Wesner
10 Comments

Migration to previously-unsettled areas has been a story of significance for Amish in recent years.   Migration is not a new phenomenon, as Amish have long moved to new areas for reasons of economics, due to church issues, or for other causes.  Places that have seen a recent influx of Amish include Missouri, Wisconsin, and New York–all states that have established Amish populations. Recent years have…

Visiting an Amish Bike Shop

Visiting an Amish Bike Shop

ByErik Wesner
19 Comments

Amish America reader Pete Ventura shares the following, about a visit to an Amish bicycle business: Recently I returned home from Holmes County. While I was up there I stopped in at a local bicycle shop located about a half mile north east of Charm, out in the middle of nowhere. I bought 97 dollars worth of equipment. When I went to pay, the owner…

Harley Stutzman gets back on his feet

ByErik Wesner
9 Comments

Two days ago, I sat down with Harley Stutzman, an Ohio Amish furniture finisher (Holmes County settlement).  I had heard that Harley had been through an ordeal since our last meeting.  Harley shared his remarkable story as we sat on his front porch sipping ice cold Pepsis on a beautiful spring afternoon. By way of background, Harley was one of the business owners I interviewed for…