How do the Amish keep their food cold? That can vary, based on the community. But for Amish in some places – including one tiny New England community – the answer is good old-fashioned ice. A just-released piece in Down East Magazine explores the ice harvesting tradition in the young Amish settlement at Hiram, Maine (Oxford County). What really makes the piece are the excellent…
In the most recent Amish population report, we learned that a total of nine new Amish communities had been started in the prior year. New Amish communities come together and grow in different ways. Some see much enthusiasm from the get-go, rapidly attracting new families, some or many of whom may be related. In contrast, others are slow growers, taking time to draw in settlers….
This past summer we learned that a man who had gone on a burglary spree, targeting several Amish businesses in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, had been caught a year after the crimes were committed. Along with three Amish stores, Harley Richard Redmond had broken into several non-Amish churches, burning one down in the process – and causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. Now comes…
Indiana State Police announced today that they are seeking information in a cold case over half-a-century old – in which a 17-year-old Amish boy was killed when hit by a large rock thrown from a passing car. Mervin Lehman of LaGrange, Indiana died on March 22, 1969, after a rock entered the buggy he was riding in and struck him in the neck or chest…
Today’s Amish home is in Middlebury, Indiana (part of the large northern Indiana Amish settlement) and gives us a look at what life in a more materially progressive community looks like. There are a number of classic Amish accents in this home – combined with more modern ones as well. Together it creates the feel of a “classic-modern” Amish home (hat tip to Jim Halverson…
Volume 6, Issue 1 of The Journal Of Plain Anabaptist Communities is now released. This issue of JPAC includes an “in memoriam” to Dave Luthy, one of the founders of the Pathway Heritage Historical Library, located in Aylmer, Ontario. It includes brief statements of appreciation for his contributions to Anabaptist studies and the assistance and advice he generously provided to numerous scholars. Two articles in…
Author Haley Straw returns today with part 2 of a new winter-themed series, drawing on one of her more challenging experiences as an Amish taxi driver. Part 1 is here if you missed it. Have you ever known—deep in your bones—that you should say no… and said yes anyway? That was me on the eve of Christmas Eve, standing outside the barn at our farm…
Hershberger’s Farm and Bakery is one of the best-known – and if you ask me, best – bakeries in the Holmes County, Ohio Amish community. Now, have I been to every last one? No, definitely not. But Hershberger’s has a lot going for it: Big selection of quality, tasty things (not only baked goods, but canned goods, produce, bulk items, cheese and more) A signature…
Amish in one community are putting their weight – and money – into efforts to make buggy travel safer for their people. In Seymour, Missouri, the “Main Street Overpass” project is heading to state officials for consideration, backed by local representatives along with the area’s considerable Amish population. The overpass would span a local highway, providing a safer route for Amish buggy traffic, among other…
Amish mothers in Aroostook County, Maine are among those who now face increased risks following the closure of a local hospital’s maternity unit – one of 11 to shut down in the past decade in the state. It’s true that many Amish mothers do give birth at home, with the help of midwives – often Amish women themselves, but also often not. That doesn’t mean…