A year ago I noticed a stark change while in an Indiana Amish community. Â Solar panels and spinning wind turbines had populated many an Amish roof in the 5 years since I’d last visited. Later, in an Amish-owned store in another settlement, I viewed an array of technologies designed to harness the wind and sun. Â Amish, at least in some places, are taking up these…
We started the week with Amish GPS but now head in the opposite direction, technologically speaking. Brenda shares photos today from the Carroll County, Tennessee Amish settlement, of an old Maytag washing machine.  Brenda has previously shared photos from Amish wash day in this settlement, so this makes a good follow-up.  Amish are known to use old-fashioned machines but this one seems more venerable than the norm. You…
Today’s photo, from Mike of Primitive Christianity: Mike adds: Â “I know Old Order Amish are not opposed to some forms of modernity. It just strikes me as a good representation of the mixture of old and new. Somehow one doesn’t seem to think that GPS units are needed on such a slow-moving, short-distance vehicle.” I first assumed this is a youth buggy, though, perhaps not….
Sometimes individuals and even whole communities transition away from being “classically Amish”, becoming something different while keeping elements of Amishness. We saw the example of the ex-Amish in Parke County, Indiana last week. Â Today Karen Johnson-Weiner shares photos from a group in Missouri which has also moved in a different direction. Â These people, previously considered Amish, now describes themselves as Mennonite. Karen says that the…
A friend of mine does regular “no technology” days with his family. This means one or two scheduled days a week when they turn off all the computers, iPods, and the like, and go with the “old-fashioned”: books, peace and quiet, family time (anyone ever try this?). I’ve admired the discipline it takes to do that. Â He has nothing to do with the Amish, but…
Now that we’re finally on the right side of the Spring Equinox many of us have our minds on warmer topics. Â But let’s pause for a moment before diving into spring to think about a technology we often take for granted–refrigeration. Most Amish do use some variety of refrigerator. Â Amish who don’t typically rely on ice for cooling. Â Today Tom offers us some photos of…
Giving new meaning to the term? From the Lagrange County IN Amish settlement. More on the Amish phone.
I recently heard that a number of Amish in the Lancaster County community have begun using regular electric washers (like any English home might have, except powered by the diesel generator). With the widely-used wringer washers (ie, the old Maytag style), the clothes are still pretty wet when you finish. Â Using a regular washer, the spin cycle forces a lot of that extra water out,…
This photo was taken in the New Wilmington PA Amish settlement. I’ve mentioned before how I’m no big fan of cell phones. Â That said, they sure are handy to have on hand when you actually need to talk to someone. The pay phone is one of those things, like the roadside diner and the family radio, that seem destined to become a quaint relic of…
Continuing our “Signs of an Amish Home” series, let’s have a look at milk cans. Â Milk cans seem to be another one of those quintessential symbols of the Amish–who else uses them nowadays? A few other Plain groups perhaps, but not many others. Â If you see them stacked up by the road or by the barn, that’s a sign of a likely Amish place, and…