New York Amish have been in the news a lot lately. We’ve seen stories on vandalism against Amish in Steuben County, new stats showing NY Amish continuing their growth, and of course this week’s tragic accident in which five Amish were killed. The Amish who died in the van wreck also came from Steuben County–the Jasper/Woodhull settlement. Â The Jasper community, founded 1983, predates the recent…
It’s been a terrible two weeks for Amish on the road. The Friday before last, a semi crashed into a carriage in Christian County, Kentucky, killing an Amish toddler. Â The driver was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence. The next day a van driver, apparently also inebriated, hit a horsecart in northern Indiana, killing a 12-year-old Amish boy. Now, five Amish have been…
Attacks against Amish have a long history. Â These have ranged from verbal abuse to more serious offenses such as theft, vandalism, and arson. In some cases, Amish have been injured or even killed. Â A series of barn burnings in Big Valley, PA in the early 1990s, or targeted assaults and robberies against Amish in the Nappanee, Indiana area, are just a couple of the more…
The New York Department of Taxation and Finance is now requiring electronic filing of sales tax returns. Â And it’s causing some Amish in New York problems. Apparently there is an out–those lacking internet access can request an exemption. Â If they don’t, they face a $50 fine. Â Some Amish have been hit with this fine, though it’s not clear why–by the article, it sounds like a…
I’m away from the computer for a couple of days, but have auto-posted some hat shop photos. The first is from the Nappanee, Indiana Amish community. Â Nappanee is the 3rd-largest Amish community in Indiana, and 6th-largest in the nation. Â There is also a small Old Order Mennonite community near Nappanee: You can see a few different styles here (notice the bottom row). And even more…
Nadege Armour asked in a comment yesterday: Â Any chance we might be able to see the inside of an anonymous Amish home? Well, here we have a photo of the inside of an Amish home near Clymer, New York, shared by Amish researcher Karen Johnson-Weiner: First off, you can see one of the most important types of technology in an Amish home (at least in…
In her guest post last Friday, Kate Hastings pointed out how common calendars are in Amish homes. Â Kate noted that while visiting an Amish friend, “I realized that I could see six picture calendars from where I was sitting in the kitchen.” Â The calendars “featured horses, barns, lighthouses, bluebirds, and wildflowers.” While you won’t find family portraits on Amish walls, you will find a range…
The familiar yellow buggy warning sign tells drivers “Amish ahead”. But there is no standardized design. So the signs you see can vary. Below, twelve examples of Amish buggy warning signs you’ll find across America – and one from outside our borders. From Dauphin County, near Elizabethville, Pennsylvania. Â Dauphin County is home to a sizeable Lancaster Amish daughter settlement. Taken near the aptly-named Plainville, New…
The concept of “Amish community” has a number of meanings The term “Amish community” is often used to refer to the Amish in general.  For instance, you might hear the questions, “What does the Amish community do when a barn burns down?” or  “What does the Amish community believe about technology?” Sometimes the term is used appropriately, ie “My friend Lavern comes from the Nappanee Amish…
Today we continue with part 2 of our interview with SUNY-Potsdam Professor of Anthropology Karen Johnson-Weiner. Karen is the author of the recently-released book New York Amish: Life in the Plain Communities of the Empire State. New York has proven an especially attractive destination for Amish in recent years, and is now home to over 12,000 Amish. In today’s segment, Karen discusses how Amish migrants…