“Mass Casualty Incident”: 11 Amish (Including One-Year-Old) Hospitalized After Eating Toxic Mushrooms

“Mass Casualty Incident”: 11 Amish (Including One-Year-Old) Hospitalized After Eating Toxic Mushrooms

It’s wild mushroom season and one Amish family learned the hard way that eating the wrong mushroom can have consequences. This happened last week in Peach Bottom Township in York County, PA. From CBS 21 News: YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — Eleven people, including children, were hospitalized Friday night after eating wild mushrooms in Peach Bottom Township, according to Delta-Cardiff Volunteer Fire Company. Emergency dispatchers received…

An Unusual Amish Community Phone (Before & After Photos)

An Unusual Amish Community Phone (Before & After Photos)

A reader in central Minnesota shares some photos of an Amish community phone. In many Amish settlements, families share a common phone. So that aspect is not uncommon. But there’s one thing about this phone setup that I’ve never seen before. But before we take a look, it’s worth mentioning that Amish use the telephone in many different ways. Here are three options (though these…

Trial Of Amish Mother’s Accused Killer Moved (Again) – Until At Least March 2025

Trial Of Amish Mother’s Accused Killer Moved (Again) – Until At Least March 2025

This is the second time the trial of Shawn C. Cranston, accused of killing 23-year-old pregnant Amish mother Rebekah Byler, has been moved. Cranston was originally meant to be tried in June, but the defense team got a continuance due to having to process “large amounts” of evidence. Cranston had a preliminary hearing in March, which revealed that he had driven for the Amish. Later,…

A Visit With Marlene: Autumn, Amish Art, & More

A Visit With Marlene: Autumn, Amish Art, & More

Marlene Lehman and I sat down this week (virtually, that is) for a talk about a wide range of topics. Here is the first part of it. In this 22-minute vid, we discuss Amish artists, signs of autumn in her Shipshewana-area Amish community, fall craft shows & festivals, “male” and “female” jobs on the farm, and more.  Amish & Mennonite Autumn Festivals If you’re…

Local Man Tries To Stop “Accident Waiting To Happen” At Amish School

Local Man Tries To Stop “Accident Waiting To Happen” At Amish School

A non-Amish man sees a tragedy waiting to unfold in his Wisconsin community – and is trying to prevent it. As reported at WKOW, Jim Kostohrys says this “blind curve” & hill – right before drivers reach an Amish school – are a potentially deadly combo. Have a look. Just past it, dozens of Amish children walk to, or get dropped off at school each…

Inside A Picture-Perfect Minnesota Amish Home (19 Photos)

Inside A Picture-Perfect Minnesota Amish Home (19 Photos)

I’m calling this Minnesota Amish home “picture-perfect” because the photographer did a great job, but also because the place is very neat and well-kept. Often the Swartzentruber Amish homes are not that way. Yards are untidy and the homes themselves have a very rough and unfinished appearance. But this place, inside and out, gives the impression of a very clean, cozy, and well-taken-care-of home. The…

Rose Fisher: Amish Identity & The Pensylvania Dutch Language

Rose Fisher: Amish Identity & The Pensylvania Dutch Language

JPAC Highlights Amish Attitudes and Identity in Relation to Pennsylvania Dutch, by Rose Fisher, Journal of Plain Anabaptist Communities, volume 4, issue 1, 2023 Rose Fisher is a Ph.D. candidate in German Linguistics and Language Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University. Her dissertation is about the use of Pennsylvania Dutch (PD) by current members of the Old Order Amish and Old Order Groffdale Conference Mennonites…

Inside A Cheery (Nearly Empty) Amish Home (18 Photos)

Inside A Cheery (Nearly Empty) Amish Home (18 Photos)

I usually post home photos that show a lived-in space. But sometimes it’s interesting to see what an emptied-out Amish home looks like (like this Mississippi Amish home from earlier this year). That’s what we have again here today with these photos from the atypical Amish community at Enon Valley, PA. According to the description, an Amish family is actually still living here. So these…

Rosanna King, Who Survived 2006 Amish School Shooting, Has Died

Rosanna King, Who Survived 2006 Amish School Shooting, Has Died

Rosanna was wounded in the school shooting as a first grader – just 6 years old at the time. Many felt her survival was a miracle. From Lancaster Online: An Amish woman who was wounded as a child in the 2006 mass shooting at West Nickel Mines School in Bart Township died Tuesday, according to sources familiar with the circumstances of her death. Rosanna King, 23, died in her Paradise Township…

“Amish Man” Driving A Tesla Cybertruck? Not So Fast…

“Amish Man” Driving A Tesla Cybertruck? Not So Fast…

Are the Amish driving Teslas now? If you glanced at recent headlines, you might come away with that idea. Ben Zook runs Belmont Solar, located in Lancaster County. According to the story at teslarati.com, they install solar panels in 90 local homes, mostly Amish, each year (I’ve heard of this company before, but never had any direct dealings with it). The hook of the story…