Amish Retreat Leader Faces Seven New Charges — Including Manslaughter in Death of 6-Month-Old — And Kidnapping

Amish Retreat Leader Faces Seven New Charges — Including Manslaughter in Death of 6-Month-Old — And Kidnapping

ByErik Wesner
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Missouri Amish retreat leader Sam Shetler has seen the number of charges against him grow following a court appearance yesterday – with some quite serious ones joining the list. In addition to prior trafficking and sodomy charges, he now faces counts of kidnapping and even involuntary manslaughter, regarding the death of a baby. More details on the new charges below. First here’s a summary from…

Amish Mother & 6 Children Killed In Home Explosion And Fire

Amish Mother & 6 Children Killed In Home Explosion And Fire

ByErik Wesner
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A devastating explosion and fire has taken the lives of seven people in a Clinton County, Pennsylvania Amish community – six of them young children. This is the third explosion at an Amish home or school we’ve covered here in the past month. And if bad news comes in threes, this is by far the worst of the bunch. Like the others, this incident also…

I Grew Up Riding in a Buggy — Here’s What All Those Amish Vehicles Are For

I Grew Up Riding in a Buggy — Here’s What All Those Amish Vehicles Are For

ByDon Burke
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In today’s post – part 1 of 3 – Don Burke and Laura Graber take us into the world of Amish horse-drawn transport. Together they look at photos Don has taken over the years in the Jamesport, Missouri Amish community, showing various horse-powered vehicles used by the Amish. Laura, who grew up Amish (and recently shared how she managed eight grades at once as an…

“We’ll Try To Build Back”: Amish Help Fight Fire — But Missouri Variety Store Is A Total Loss (UPDATE: Days Later, The Store Is Already Going Back Up)

“We’ll Try To Build Back”: Amish Help Fight Fire — But Missouri Variety Store Is A Total Loss (UPDATE: Days Later, The Store Is Already Going Back Up)

ByErik Wesner

Despite Amish efforts to aid firefighters in extinguishing the blaze, a variety store in the Canton, Missouri Amish settlement burned to the ground yesterday evening. As reported by Michele McCormack in Muddy River News: LEWIS Co., Mo. — Just after 5 p.m. Thursday, a fire erupted at the Amish Variety Store along Highway 81 just north of Canton, Mo. “This is a bad time of…

An Amish Organic Farm & House Just Listed For $1.42 Million — Electricity Not Included (28 Photos)

An Amish Organic Farm & House Just Listed For $1.42 Million — Electricity Not Included (28 Photos)

ByErik Wesner
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An Amish organic dairy farm in the perfectly-named New Holstein, Wisconsin just listed for $1,420,000 — and no, as you might expect, electricity is not included. This is one of the highest-priced Amish properties we’ve covered in this series. We did recently see a $1.5 million Amish farmstead in Kentucky. Pricewise, this Wisconsin property is in that ballpark, but is a somewhat different kind of…

Pickup Driver Hits Buggy Full Of Amish Teens & Flees — Leaving Two Seriously Injured And A Dead Horse (UPDATED)

Pickup Driver Hits Buggy Full Of Amish Teens & Flees — Leaving Two Seriously Injured And A Dead Horse (UPDATED)

ByErik Wesner
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A buggy carrying Amish youth was hit by a pickup truck late Friday night in Geauga County, Ohio, causing serious injuries to at least two Amish teens. Unfortunately, the young driver of the pickup did not see fit to stop and help the occupants of the buggy he’d just hit. Instead, after freeing his truck from a ditch, he fled, according to authorities. More from…

Young Amish Woman “Critically Injured”, Airlifted After Car Rear-Ends Buggy — But Horse Left Unharmed

Young Amish Woman “Critically Injured”, Airlifted After Car Rear-Ends Buggy — But Horse Left Unharmed

ByErik Wesner
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Two Amish people were hurt – one critically – in a wreck which left the horse standing remarkably unharmed. This happened late Sunday night in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. No ages are given in this report – just a “young Amish woman”, and an “Amish man”. It describes how the buggy the pair were riding in was struck from behind, ejecting both and sending them to…

Close Call For Amish Mom And Baby as Barn Explodes in Ohio

Close Call For Amish Mom And Baby as Barn Explodes in Ohio

ByErik Wesner
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It’s been a bad couple of weeks for explosions in Amish buildings. Following the Amish schoolhouse explosion in northwestern PA, yesterday a barn and workshop were destroyed in an explosion and fire at an Amish property in Geauga County, Ohio. The cause was reportedly a propane gas leak. A caller reported a “hissing” noise coming from the barn. Fortunately no one was hurt, but based…

2-Year-Old Amish Boy Dies After Falling Into Septic Tank

2-Year-Old Amish Boy Dies After Falling Into Septic Tank

ByErik Wesner
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Just an awful story out of the New Wilmington, Pennsylvania Amish community. A two-year-old boy has died, after falling into an open septic tank. From New Castle News: The Lawrence County Coroner’s Office and state police investigated the drowning death of a 2-year-old Amish boy who reportedly fell into an open septic tank Saturday. The child, identified as Steven Byler, was discovered deceased around 11…

For The First Time In A Century, The Amish Now Live In This Southern State

For The First Time In A Century, The Amish Now Live In This Southern State

ByErik Wesner
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We often think of the Amish as living in the Midwest, and states like Pennsylvania. But Amish communities in the South are nothing new. States like Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee have seen their Amish populations grow robustly in recent decades. However, there’s one part of the South that the Amish have (for whatever reason) not settled — the “Deep South”. The Deep South is most…