Here’s another interesting YouTube comment (which turns out to be a good source of what people are thinking about the Amish). A commenter recently wrote “Amish = How can we make our lives as hard as possible and still survive?” While there might be some Amish who find a virtue of sorts in living very plainly, for many Amish, they appreciate comfort and try to…
Amish no longer live in Europe, but how are they remembered there today? Romain Speisser shares one example from a hometown of Jakob Ammann. Amman lived in the area of Saint-Marie-aux-Mines (once known as Markirch) for years until Anabaptists were expelled from the region in 1712. Today, it hosts an annual event commemorating its Amish history, as Romain describes below. As every year since 1995,…
So a couple of interesting photos from Jim Halverson today, where you can see what looks like Amish women wearing rings. This first is from a recent auction in Clare, Michigan: And here’s another, also from an event at Clare (2020) – the woman in purple: Now, when looking closer, I must admit it occurred to me that the woman with the bags could perhaps…
Several years ago we had a look inside the home of the Graber family, featuring photos courtesy of Don Burke (check it out here). I went ahead and made a little video out of Don’s photos with some of my additional comments on this cozy home. Don originally went on a tour via an Amish Farm Tour opportunity on their property. However, this didn’t include…
So if you’re not into “social media drama”, just skip this post. I don’t plan to make a habit of covering things from Facebook, but I need to address this here. You might remember a post I did in August about Eddie Swartzentruber’s TikTok channel (“Swartzentruber Amish-Raised Man Shares The Bad Sides Of His Amish Life“). Eddie responded on Facebook, making some false claims about…
Very sad story from central PA, via the Altoona Mirror: Three members of an Amish family died in a farming accident Wednesday morning. Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers said Andrew Beiler, 47, and his two sons ages 14 and 19 died from asphyxiation after they were trapped inside a silo. The buildup in gases inside the silo caused their deaths, which have been ruled accidental….
Good news for one of the country’s most widely-covered Amish stores, in the little Amish community at Unity, Maine. Back in January, the Amish Community Market & Bakery burned down in a rapidly-moving fire which likely started in a stove or chimney. Reflecting its popularity, in the aftermath of the fire owner Caleb Stoll received many donations and offers to help from non-Amish people who…
“Why are the Amish using plastic packaging? I am so disappointed.” That is a comment someone left on the recent video on the Amish popcorn shop. Lot of plastic packaging in that shop, like in any Amish-owned store that sells food (or other products for that matter). I find this expression of disapproval interesting for a few reasons. I think it reveals a few…
This is a neat story from earlier in the summer I didn’t get around to posting. An Amish couple in Somerset County, PA, agreed to be interviewed and photographed for a story on purple martins. These are the birds every Amish farmer wants to have around. They eat pesky insects, lots of them, and are valued for that. Purple martin houses are common on Amish…
This past June I visited Emma’s Gourmet Popcorn in Lancaster County. I recorded this video showing the different flavors they sell (apparently 60 of them). I didn’t realize there were so many flavors of popcorn; you’ll see my surprise at some of the unexpected tastes I find in the shop. As I’m recording you’ll hear the banter of some Amish friends and store workers in…