Impressions from the conference “Early Anabaptism in Global Perspective: Past, Present, and Future at 500 Years” As a rural sociologist steeped in statistical analyses of data to test hypotheses, I had my doubts about attending a conference focused on the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptist movement. Too much history for me, I thought! Organized by the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, and held…
This accident happened last week in Brunswick County, Virginia, leading to “minor injuries” for the Amish family in the buggy. But that’s not what you’d think when you take a look at the photo: That buggy looks like it’s been annihilated. Here’s what happened: Amish family members aboard a horse-drawn wagon suffered minor injuries after the buggy was hit by a car on Route 1…
Shawn Cranston was sentenced Monday to two life terms for the killing of Crawford County, Pennsylvania Amish woman Rebekah Byler and her unborn child. Following a four-day trial in June, Cranston was swiftly convicted for the murders of Byler and her unborn girl. Now Cranston will spend the rest of his life in prison for his crimes. From the report: The Corry man who killed…
Yesterday evening (July 24), a man (allegedly) driving under the influence hit a buggy in Bath County, Kentucky – and fled. Three Amish children were left lying on the road, injured. From WKYT: SHARPSBURG, Ky. (WKYT) – A Kentucky man is behind bars after an alleged hit-and-run crash with an Amish buggy. Kentucky State Police arrested Ricardo Geronimo Salas, 21, on Thursday. In an arrest…
I want to share a remarkable set of photos captured by Don Burke. Here we see an Amish family in Jamesport, Missouri enjoying a buggy race. So right off the bat: you might be thinking, “is that safe?” Don has addressed that (below). I actually posted one of these photos on Facebook a week or so back. One commenter called buggy racing on the road…
This case came on the radar last year in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Over a single week, several Amish businesses – along with non-Amish churches – were burglarized in a series of crimes in this heavily-Amish corner of PA. Now, police believe they have their culprit. From WFMJ: MERCER, Pa. – A Mercer man faces nineteen charges, including arson and burglary, after a series of alleged…
The Delaware News Journal is running a great collection of vintage photos of Amish life (link at bottom) in Lancaster County, PA and in the Dover, Delaware community. These photos date back decades and all are in black-and-white. I’ve pulled a few samples to share with you, but you’ll find all of them at the link at the end of this post. It’s always neat…
UPDATE: We first heard this short clip of “Roses in the Snow” (see below) back in July. Ben & Rose have now released the full song – as the first track on their debut album. You’ll find that at the end of this post. Ben and Rose are just out with a teaser of a new song they’re working on called “Roses in the Snow”….
CLAYTON, NEW YORK: Two Amish people were injured Friday morning when their buggy was rear-ended. This happened in Jefferson County, New York, home to an Amish community of several hundred people. From the WWNY report: Two Amish people get hurt after their horse-drawn buggy was hit by a car this morning. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department says that car was driven by Tracy Warren of…
An Amish man has gone missing in central Pennsylvania’s Blair County. He was last seen yesterday (Thursday, June 17) and this is story is just breaking. From WTAJ: TYRONE, Pa. (WTAJ) — Multiple organizations are searching for a missing Amish man in the Sinking Valley area Friday. Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), Lost and Hound and Heaven Sent all have dogs in the area searching for…