Across America in places where the Amish have set up shop, local businesses and government authorities have had to adapt some practices to accommodate the preferred Amish transportation. Traffic Jam off County Road 77 in Holmes County, Ohio Sometimes an Amish group showing up in an area can lead to disputes with locals over horse mess or hoof damage on roads. The smarter businesses, or…
Driving the backroads of Amish America you find yourself passing the horse-and-buggy in miniature, with little Amish pilots egging on their diminutive yet sturdy ponies, whipping across front yards or up the shoulder and down to the neighbor’s, perhaps to collect a missing ingredient for the casserole mom is working on back at home. Photo: Randall Persing The pony cart serves a useful function in…
‘In 1847, nine families, all Bylers, moved to Lawrence, PA, they were: Solomon, Christian, Yost, Daniel, Noah, John, Reuben, Rudy, and Eli, and were among the first Amish in that section. In year 1880 bishop Crist (Christian) Byler walked from Lawrence County to the Valley. He traveled a distance of 250 miles in 4 days at the age of 68. He also made the trip…
I’d actually planned to post this photo today anyway. As I drove to an appointment this morning I came upon a slowdown on Highway 39, the main thoroughfare through Holmes County. Turns out it was caused by a head-on car-buggy collision. The remnants were still in view by the roadside. As I arrived at my 9 am meeting at the home of an Amish business…
The caption accompanying the above photo in an AP story on Amish and gas usage reads: “Using real horse power to get around, an Amish buggy makes its way through Middlefield, Ohio, unconcerned about the rising gas prices…” Actually, the Amish aren’t as oblivious to rising gas prices as we might think. While it’s true they don’t have to worry about filling up a gas-slurping…
Accidents between Amish buggies and cars happen. Way too often. This summer during a three-month stay in northern Indiana, three fatal accidents occurred. One happened when a distracted driver hit an Amish man and two sons riding in a pony cart, killing all three. Another was caused by an Amish Rumspringa-age youth, who attempted to pass in a no-passing zone. He and the driver he…
Following up the great Amish photos from Bill Coleman last week, here is a new, no-less impressive batch from Randall Persing. Randy says that he feels fortunate to have developed friendships with the Amish. This also allows him to freely move about the community, attend events, and document Amish life. Nebraska Amish Like Bill Coleman, Randy has been able to photograph perhaps the most conservative…
The Nebraska Amish find themselves on the ultraconservative edge of Amish society. “Nebraska” is something of a misnomer, however. This group is found mainly in Mifflin County, Pennsylvani, in the diverse Big Valley region. A second, smaller group is found in northeastern Ohio. The Nebraska tag comes from the origin of the group’s founding bishop, Yost H. Yoder. Today there are a number of subgroups…
Respect to the Amish farrier. His is a tough job. Amish occupations may vary from businesses that cater to non-Amish to those that service the Amish community. The farrier keeps Amish horses running. The typical horse needs a ‘tire change’ about once every 4 to 8 (to 12 in winter) weeks, depending on horse, climate, and season. A typical change of shoes takes about 45…
Eli Stutzman, convicted murderer and father of ‘Little Boy Blue’, was an exile from the ultraconservative Swartzentruber Amish group. When you read words like ‘secretive’, ‘closed’, and ‘backward’ in the same sentence as ‘Amish’, the writer, rightly or wrongly, is often referring to this sect. Wayne County, Ohio, where Stutzman originated, has a high number of Swartzentruber members, with quite a few spilling over into…