Some time ago I was asked about the famous photo of Amish schoolchildren running away from officials in Iowa.  You can see the photo below, taken during an incident in 1965.  It was a turbulent time for Amish which ended with the 1972 Wisconsin v. Yoder Supreme Court decision enabling Amish schooling as we know it today. This photo was taken in Buchanan County, Iowa, after…
The six-year-old son of Amish friends just started attending school a little over a month ago. Â I’ve known them since he was in a cradle, and have watched him grow up incrementally (seeing them roughly every six months for the past five+ years). When I last saw them I remarked that this would probably be the last time that he and I wouldn’t be able…
We have a guest post today from Emma Miller. Though most people raised Amish end up joining an Amish church, a certain percentage for one reason or another do not. Here’s Emma writing about a new organization she’s started for former Amish: I grew up Amish in a small town in Missouri, the 6th child out of 12. I have many fond memories of summer…
Continuing our look at relics of the past, the one-room schoolhouse. I think the country schoolhouse definitely fits the category of cultural items that have come and gone in North America (but for a few pockets here and there). Â The Amish are probably the most obvious example of a group maintaining the small rural school tradition. I love old one-room school buildings. Â You still see…
News from yet another Kentucky Amish SMV case: defendants will have a PA Dutch interpreter (story no longer online)Â following difficulties understanding court proceedings. In this latest case (the third this year in KY, in Logan County), four Amish, including one woman, have been cited for not displaying the orange triangle. Even though Amish speak English from a young age, and many very capably, we might…
We got a lot of interesting guesses on the Allen County mystery shack. Â Everything from a portable toilet to a shepherd shelter to an Amish buggy camper. Now, I will preface this by saying that being Sunday, I did not have a chance to confirm. Â But I’m pretty sure this: has to do with this: That’s an Amish school in Allen County. Â Bigger than you’d…
A little while back I gave an interview for a newspaper column on Amish frugality. One example which I think captures the mindset (and which I wish I’d shared) was what happens at Amish schools in the summer time. Â What happens? Â Well, this: All that green stuff you see, that’s normally the schoolyard 8-9 months of the year. Â But rather than let the land lie…
I just read an article by Donald Kraybill which examines Amish and obedience (http://goo.gl/Sb7e7).  In the piece, Kraybill explains why Amish use physical punishment to discipline children, citing an Amish mother named Hannah: Hannah explained that, when children are about two years old, their wills need to be broken. If it’s not done at that stage, she said, they will likely become disobedient, rebellious adults. The…
Today marks the fourth anniversary of the Nickel Mines Amish school shootings. I’d like to share two items with you. The recently-released paperback version of Amish Grace features a Q-and-A with Charles Roberts’ mother Terri, whom Donald Kraybill interviewed earlier this year. In it, she discusses her feelings on learning of the shooting, the Amish community’s response, and how she has interacted with the families…
I’ve been looking forward to this new addition to Amish America for a long time. Various questions seem to recur on Amish topics. I thought it might be nice to put together a resource to try to answer some of those questions. The Amish Online Encyclopedia (AOE) covers a variety of subjects including Amish culture, beliefs, the different Amish affiliations, occupations, education, transportation, and so…