SMV triangle, streamlined top, mini-door. What is this thing? A road-ready chicken coop? I took this photo yesterday in the Allen County (Grabill) Indiana Amish settlement. Today I’m off to Michigan. Will have more on this photo tomorrow, but til then, what do you think? Update: Mystery shack explained? We got a lot of interesting guesses on the Allen County mystery shack. Everything from a portable…
I’m off to Indiana this morning. A few highlights of the past week in Ohio: Sitting with an Amish friend one afternoon, we made plans to take my truck up the road to visit his father. “Do you want me to drive?” asked my friend. I turned around and checked with his wife. “Can he drive?” “Well, he can” came her response. “I wasn’t asking…
It was a wonderful day in Holmes County yesterday. Early rain, which meant a lot of laundry under porches. But that went away in a hurry after noon. Here’s the proof:
Back in January, I shared a few slides of Lancaster County, circa 1963. Here are a few more: Would today’s Lancaster Amish women consider this overdressed? Lancaster County has the second-most covered bridges of any county in America. The #1 county? Parke County, Indiana, where a group of Lancaster Amish moved in the 1990s. Here’s one in Lancaster: For those that might think Amish styles…
A full one-third of Delaware’s counties have Amish settlements. Okay, Delaware only has three counties (yep, that kind of sounds like a joke you’d hear an Amish guy make). Delaware’s sole Amish settlement nestles against state capital Dover. Amish have been here almost 100 years. It’s a decent-sized community, actually: 9 church districts, over 1000 people. Amish have been leaving though. Land is expensive next…
From an Andy Weaver Amish home, a quilt in frame: Zooming in: Thanks to Karen Johnson-Weiner for the photo. Here are a few more Amish interiors: Amish Kitchen Amish Living Room Amish Wall Decor
Over the past few weeks we’ve tried to show the diverse interiors of Amish homes, from the plainer to the more progressive. I hope you enjoy this shot today from a more conservative Swartzentruber Amish home: What do you spy on that dresser? Hanging around: Special thanks to Karen Johnson-Weiner (author of New York Amish: Life in the Plain Communities of the Empire State) for sharing…
I know it’s a bit late for snowy photos, but I wanted to share one more batch of shots from the Big Valley area of Pennsylvania. Big Valley is home to three Amish groups: Nebraska, Renno, and Byler Amish. If you missed the first set, here are the original 10 views of Big Valley Amish. And…
You might think that Amish people would ride horseback often. After all, they certainly have much familiarity and experience with horses. Horses pull Amish carriages, and provide brute force on the farm, powering a range of farming equipment. Yet Amish rarely saddle up. Simply put, Amish riding horseback is not common. I see it from time to time, but it’s usually youth, mostly girls. You…
You might remember a photo a couple weeks back, of an Amish kitchen that some people found a bit on the fancy side? Today we have a shot of another room in the same Michigan home: This place looks like it has some nice spots for taking a nap. Just as long as those clocks aren’t too noisy. A close-up: Another Amish wall decoration: Special…