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. Â Amish have been here almost 100 years. It’s a decent-sized community, actually: 9 church districts, over 1000 people. Â Amish have been leaving though. Â Land is expensive next…
Another photo today, of an inspirational wall decoration from an outhouse at an Amish school (thanks again to Karen Johnson-Weiner). If there is any place that could use a little livening up, I guess it is the outhouse. Â And why not include an uplifting message? Â Actually I guess this is more of a lesson in humble sharing: Outhouses have been in the news lately. Â USA…
Delaware may be our first state, but examining a US map today, it’s easy to overlook.  The average state in America consists of 63 counties; Delaware, with the fewest of all, has just three. The “one in the middle”, Kent County, is home to the second largest city and state capital, Dover.  Just west of Dover city limits you’ll find Delaware’s only Amish settlement, a community…
I thought I’d share a bit more on one of the most obvious visual markers of Amish – the buggy. Â As you probably know, buggy styles can vary across the hundreds of Amish settlements in North America. Below are the five main styles I encountered on a recent trip. Four of them are not commonly seen, driven by only a minority of Amish in certain…
I just got back, late Saturday, from a great trip visiting friends in Lancaster County and elsewhere. I’ve got a lot to share in upcoming posts. Â But for now, a little summary. Here are 12 key numbers from last week’s travels to Amish communities in PA, DE, VA, and MD: 7-number of settlements visited. Â In addition to the ones I mentioned in this post, I…
Tomorrow (Monday) I ship off on a weeklong trip to East Coast Amish communities. Â I’ll be visiting these settlements: Halifax County, VA Charlotte County, VA Lancaster County, PA Big Valley, PA Cecil County, MD Dover, DE And maybe one or two others. Big Valley I have visited, and Lancaster I know well. Â The others are all new. Curious if anyone is familiar with these communities….
Rick shares a pair of photos from a Dover, Delaware Amish auction. This first shot gives you an idea of what legroom is like in the back of a buggy. Anyone ridden in something like this before? Not too roomy. Rick also notes that the Dover buggies have a whip holder at the front, creating an unusual “antenna” look, which you’ll notice in the picture…
A few links of interest from around the ole interweb: Christina Davidson of the Atlantic comments on consumerism, recession, and Amish life while dropping in on the Dover, Delaware Amish. She also describes a good example of how change happens in Amish communities. 48 Days to the Work You Love author Dan Miller makes an interesting observation on hay bales and Amish innovation on a…
Dover, Delaware Amish buggy The Dover Amish settlement, founded in 1915, lies to the west of the city. The Dover community was settled by Pennsylvania, Kansas, Ohio, and Michigan Amish. Today Dover consists of 9 church districts. Lying near a heavily settled urban area, Dover has experienced similar land and population pressures to the Lancaster County Amish to the north. David Luthy cites the editor…
The latest issue of Family Life includes an article by David Luthy entitled Amish Settlements Across America: 2008. It’s a comprehensive listing of Amish settlements along with some commentary and analysis. Last time Luthy did one of these was in 2003. Interesting facts: Some settlements are very old, yet due to various factors, are very small today. Hicksville in Ohio was founded in 1914, yet comprises just one…