Have you ever noticed how the Amish call non-Amish people “English”? Don’t worry, they’re not mistaking you for someone from Great Britain. There’s another explanation. There are also at least a couple more terms that the Amish use for “us” (eg, non-Amish). Let’s look at three of those here. 1. “English” The practice of Amish calling non-Amish people “English” dates back to the colonial era,…
An Amish dairy farmer illegally selling firearms? A surprising story last week told of a Lancaster Amishman having an unspecified number of guns seized by ATF agents from his farm. From Lancaster Online: Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives seized firearms from a Leacock Township property earlier this month and an Amish farmer at the property acknowledged selling guns without a…
Unfortunately Amish sometimes end up being targets for harassment, vandalism or violence in some cases. Sadly some Amish schoolchildren recently became targets on two separate occasions in an Ohio community. The report from FOX 8: ASHLAND, Ohio (WJW) – The Fox 8 I-Team has learned two teens are under investigation for an assault carried out on Amish children. Ashland Sheriff Lt. Don Sims told the…
So I did a video recap of all the things I bought on my recent Kentucky-Ohio-Virginia Amish trip. You’ll see my haul from a total of six stores (plus one bonus stop in Kentucky that I explain in the video). I visited a couple of variety stores, a bent-n-dent food store, a large market and deli-style store, and two bulk foods places. But my Amish…
New Jersey is another one of those states that people think has or at least ought to have an Amish population (like Georgia). However, the Garden State does not. And not just that, I don’t believe it has ever in history had an Amish community…which is kind of surprising when you think about it being right next-door to Amish-loaded states Pennsylvania and New York. Amish…
In this ninth and final episode of Donald Kraybill’s “What I Learned From The Amish” podcast, our host addresses Amish beliefs and rituals surrounding death and dying. While some might understandably shy away from this topic, I’ve also noticed a lot of interest in how the Amish approach it over the years. The Amish as a rule address the reality of death and dying directly,…
This Amish market has become fairly well-known, featuring in media coverage over the years. It also became popular in its own right, thanks in part to its weekly Wednesday “Donut Day“. Sadly the news came today that the Unity, Maine Community Market rapidly burned down yesterday. From Bangor Daily News: UNITY, Maine — The Amish Community Market and Bakery in Unity burned down on Thursday,…
You should be able to tell right off why I titled this “abandoned” – though not technically the case (it’s up for sale, after all), with the overgrown yard, vacated rooms, and grey sky adding a bleak touch to these photos, it certainly has the feel of an abandoned home. Unlike most homes we look at, this one is emptied out, with just a few…
People often wonder about Georgia when it comes to the Amish. Maybe it’s because the Peach State borders other states with Amish communities. The Amish have been settling in the South in greater numbers lately. You may have heard people claim that there are Amish present in the state. But are there in fact Amish in Georgia? Despite Amish growth in the South, Georgia currently…
It seems hit-and-runs on Amish buggies are the latest bad roadway trend. Another happened in Oneida County, New York Tuesday (other recent ones have occurred in Ashland County, Ohio and Trumbull County, Ohio). This time the driver somehow made out okay, but the horse was left injured: Marcy, N.Y. — A horse was injured Tuesday after a car crashed into an Amish buggy and then…