The third-largest Amish community in Indiana Nappanee is what I tend to think of as a ‘prototype’ Amish community, smallish to medium-sized, centered around a single small town. It’s the type of place where once you leave the main town of a few hundred or thousand souls you’ll find Amish homesteads radiating out in a number of miles in any direction. Little or no suburban…
Not “Amish”, but quite entertaining nonetheless. Kevin Roberts, “Friend” to some and “Quaker” to others, writes a nice blog at quakerthink. In his latest post, Kevin surveys the transportation options available to him on his isolated Ohio homestead, and had me chuckling as he described Dude, the twenty-five dollar donkey that may be worth even less, and the one-holer convenience outhouse that comes in handy…
North Carolina is my home state, and not one known for having a large Amish population. Amish have attempted to settle NC in the past, however, and today one settlement does exist, at Union Grove, a hamlet lying some miles west of Winston-Salem. Union Grove, which began in 1985 as a spinoff of the Guthrie, Kentucky community, is considered a New Order settlement. Like its…
Temperatures are dropping and that can mean only one thing: the return of the “Amish Miracle Heater”. The device got worked-over pretty well in the press last season, but regardless (or perhaps in part due to all the attention), the sales campaign of the Canton, Ohio-based Heat Surge company was by all accounts wildly successful. Which means the latest round of ads hawking the heater,…
Three points I wanted to discuss on the Missouri Amish abuse case. I confess my previous post on the issue was a bit hastily and not too terribly well written. I also wish I were more of an expert on the Amish approach to two kingdoms doctrine as it would likely come in handy in such cases. I find the two kingdoms doctrine fascinating but…
This is a disheartening story (no longer online) which I’ve meant to address, about child abuse in one Amish community. Four bishops in a Missouri Amish community have been charged with failing to report sexual abuse inflicted by an adult member of the community upon two children. Clearly there is no moral question that abuse of any kind is a criminal matter, and not one…
The Amish settlement at Kokomo, Indiana, founded 1848, is the third-oldest in Indiana. Yet despite having been in existence for over 160 years, Kokomo remains a tiny settlement of just 2 church districts. Meanwhile, other settlements founded in the state at roughly the same time have grown and thrived. The Nappanee and Adams County settlements approach 40 and 50 church districts respectively, while the Elkhart-Lagrange…
The ten largest Amish settlements, by number of church districts, as of 2009: 10. Allen County, Indiana (Founded 1852; 19 church districts). This Amish settlement located to the north of Fort Wayne is a Swiss-ethnicity community. Open buggies are driven here; the construction trade is popular. Allen County Amish homes are often built of red brick, unlike those of most other Amish. The three most…
Most Amish homes have a sizable basement. The basement is an important part of the typical Amish home for a number of reasons. The basement of course makes a good storage area.  Amish families often keep their stores of canned goods in the basement. The basement also offers living space. Amish in warmer climes may ‘move’ downstairs to the basement in summertime, eating meals and…
Success Made Simple is the first practical business guide based on Amish ideas. 9,000 Amish businesses thrive throughout North America. This book examines why, and what lessons they can offer modern business owners. It reads a bit like this blog does, chock full of anecdotes, stories, and 16 sidebars covering everything from the ‘Amish miracle heater’ to why you’ll find 47 David Yoders in one…