Not “Amish”, but quite entertaining nonetheless. Kevin Roberts, “Friend” to some and “Quaker” to others, writes a nice blog at quakerthink. In his latest post, Kevin surveys the transportation options available to him on his isolated Ohio homestead, and had me chuckling as he described Dude, the twenty-five dollar donkey that may be worth even less, and the one-holer convenience outhouse that comes in handy…
Where do Amish buggies come from? Most established Amish settlements have at least one full-time buggy maker, but those that don’t usually acquire their vehicles in larger settlements. Amish buggy makers rarely make a buggy from top to bottom. Parts such as the wheels or undercarriage may come from other Amish shops. One buggy shop owner acquaintance produces one new vehicle per week. Stephen Scott…
I wanted to point out a book written by Suzanne Woods Fisher called Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World, just released last month. I liked a couple of things about this book in particular. Suzanne has a real gift for writing, and my blurb on the back cover, that she “plants the reader inside Amish living rooms, barns, kitchens, and schoolhouses” I wouldn’t…
An Amish acquaintance in Lebanon County, PA has kindly passed on a link to a Lancaster Sunday News story I’d missed from a couple of weeks back. Demonstrating that unceasing Amish innovative drive, it seems the folks at Stoltzfus Coach Supply have hitched up a new buggy alternator (no longer online) device to keep running lights juiced. The alternator solves two issues–the danger of a…
Two shots of Amish buggies in two Pennsylvania communities, courtesy of Bill–the top one from Smicksburg, circa last January, and the bottom from guess where? Smicksburg is the third largest Amish community in Pennsylvania based on the number of church districts, behind Lancaster County and Big Valley. As of 2008, it has the same number of districts as New Wilmington, with 18. This community is…
Courtesy of Rick!
Thanks to Rick for this photo of a Lancaster County Amish carriage. It’s not uncommon to see ‘young bucks’ out and about in these speedier models. Here’s another shot from this summer:
Nebraska Amish buggies are among the simplest. In the photo you can notice the lack of a back window, the open front, and roll-up canvas sides. The back canvas can also be opened and rolled up to let a nice breeze through. The hook which you can see jutting out on the right (just above the mountain line) holds a small lamp for night visibility.
Visibility at night is a big issue for Amish carriage drivers. There are a variety of technologies employed by various Amish groups to make themselves more easily seen. Swartzentruber Amish often use just a single lamp hung on the side of the carriage and minimal reflective tape. SMV triangles are typically not found among the Swartzentruber-related communities. Probably the most elaborate lighting systems I’ve noticed…
Leola in Lancaster County is host to a daily produce auction, and these days it’s full of shades of orange. Orange–and yellow, brown, and red, in the form of pumpkins, gourds, indian corn, and the like. Local Amish and Mennonite farmers bring their produce to buyers in the early AM. And they get it there different ways, including the tried-and-tested dual-horsepower wagon. ————– Blog reader Marcia is doing some research on an interesting topic–joining the Amish–and…