We all know Amish travel by horse-and-buggy. Most ride as passengers in cars, and pretty much all Amish will take the bus or train when need be. But how about shorter trips? Here are five more ways Amish get from point A to point B: 1. Bicycle Bicycles are fairly common, especially in larger Midwestern Amish communities. Amish-owned bikes can be pretty fancy. Â In places…
Thanks to Mary for sharing the above photo of County Road 77 in Holmes County, Ohio.  You might recall CR-77 mentioned in the comments section of the Amish buggy safety post of a couple weeks ago.  Hurst and McConnell remind us that CR-77 is known locally as the “Amish roller coaster”, for its series of rolling hills.  You can kind of get a sense of that…
Training for the 2014 Winter Olympics? Looks like this video was recorded in Knox County, Ohio (one county southwest of Holmes County). No SMV triangle, lights or storm front on this buggy. He even gets in a bit of a slalom at the end: Skiing is in fact popular with some Amish (primarily, but not only, youth), as is snowboarding. Â Lancaster County lies not too…
Mary-Ann Kirkby was raised on a Hutterite colony in Manitoba. When Mary-Ann was 9, her family–parents, herself, and six siblings–left the colony for the world. I Am Hutterite is Mary-Ann’s memoir of life at Fairholme Colony, and her adjustment to living “outside the ark”. The Hutterites Hutterites are spiritual cousins of the Amish. Â The two groups share roots in the European Anabaptist movement. Â The Amish,…
Reader Alyssa writes: I have one question about the Swartzentruber Amish: do they have assurance of salvation? To put it bluntly, do they have Jesus in their hearts in order to go to heaven? Are they true Christians? In fact, I think this is 2, or even 3 separate questions. Â I can take a shot at the first, though. Most Amish do not believe in…
29-year-old Eli Borntrager was killed on the road last year in Missouri. Â Borntrager’s buggy was rear-ended by a driver traveling at 70 mph. The Amish buggy is not the safest form of transport. Â For many reasons. Buggies can be difficult to see. Â Horses can spook. Â With their long bodies and front-set position, horses create a tougher sight angle when attempting to cross an intersection….
2010 was the 4th full year of this blog. Â I thought it’d be nice to look back at the year’s “best” posts. Â If you’re new here, it might also be a good way to catch up on what we’ve been up to. Here, “best” means posts that got lots of responses from you, or lots of visitors, plus some personal favorites. Thanks to every one…
Florida Plain newspaper The Pinecraft Pauper gears up for season #2 The Pinecraft Pauper is a community newspaper of the Pinecraft neighborhood of Sarasota, Florida, home to a small but sturdy collection of Amish and Mennonites. The Pauper was founded by local writer Daniel Fisher, and features news, human interest stories, puzzles, cartoons, tips (“Make your own carryon luggage for pennies, by taping a cardboard…
The failure of A&M investments tests the Holmes County community A financial controversy has been playing out in the Holmes County, Ohio Amish settlement over the past few months. Â Amishman Monroe Beachy operated A&M Investments, a fund in which hundreds of locals, mainly Amish, invested money. One day early last summer, a sign appeared on the door of A&M Investments’ Sugarcreek office, reading simply: “Due…
A grab-bag of thoughts and stories for the weekend.  Enjoy! Rhymemaster B “Full of action, traction and a lot of satisfaction.”  So replied Amishman “Rhymie Aaron” when asked how he was feeling.  “Rhymie Aaron” was the nickname of Aaron Beiler, who lived most his life in Lancaster County before passing away in 1964.  I recently came across an article about him dating to last year.  Sounds…