Maryland Amish

Maryland has been called “America in miniature”, due to its wide range of geographical features, from the Apppalachian mountains in the west to the bays and waterways of the east. Today there are only 3 Amish settlements in Maryland, scattered across the state.  I have visited 2 of them.  You may remember last year’s post […]

Continue Reading Amish in Maryland

Lately I’ve been sharing about the seven communities visited on my recent East Coast Amish trip.  We’ll have detailed posts upcoming on a few more of them. In the meantime I thought I’d share a bit more on one of the most obvious visual markers of Amish–the buggy.  As you probably know, buggy styles can […]

Continue Reading 4 Unusual Amish Buggy Styles

Tomorrow (Monday) I ship off on a weeklong trip to East Coast Amish communities.  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.  The others are […]

Continue Reading Four-state Amish tour

The Amish settlement at Mechanicsville is one of only three Maryland Amish communities in existence.  The oldest Maryland Amish settlement, at Oakland (Garrett County), was settled in 1850.  Today it is a single church district in size. The Mechanicsville Amish community in southern Maryland was founded nearly a century later (1940) than the Oakland community.  […]

Continue Reading The Amish of Mechanicsville, Maryland

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 […]

Continue Reading Amish Settlement Facts

Changes in the tobacco industry–lower prices, declining demand, and a heightened stigma towards the trade–have had many small farmers reeling. Many people don’t realize that some Amish grow and use tobacco (especially those in Lancaster County and related settlements). In this Washington Post article, southern Maryland Amish farmers, along with some non-Amish counterparts, have refused […]

Continue Reading Dust and nicotine