A picture in need of a caption. Â Taken outside of Shartlesville, Berks County, Pennsylvania. I’m still not sure–would meeting this pair make me smile…or give me nightmares? Either way, one more reason to love America. Photo credit: Colin Grey
This October will mark 5 years since the Nickel Mines shootings. Â The Amish forgiveness story was hugely powerful and quickly spread around the world, in part because it was so unusual. Â People just don’t forgive, so quickly, after a crime of such magnitude. Five years on, one wonders how much the lessons of the Amish at Nickel Mines have stuck with us. The Young Center…
I resisted Facebook for a good while, but finally got a profile back in 2009. Â Since then, I’ve often thought about the above question. What got me pondering this today, though, was an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (“Amish learn value of networking”). Â Amish are using social networking to market their products, with the help of third parties. Â PA Amish farmer and co-op member…
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. Â 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…
Northkill was an Amish settlement existing in Berks County, Pennsylvania in the 1700s. Â It was home to some of the earliest Amish settlers in the New World. It was also the site of a brutal massacre still recounted by Amish today. During the French and Indian war, Amishman Jacob Hochstetler’s home came under attack by Indians. Â Hochstetler famously restrained his sons from retaliating with gunfire….
The FDA has taken legal action to stop Amish farmer Dan Allgyer from shipping raw milk across state lines, according to this article. This case against Allgyer has been going on for quite some time.  Allgyer’s Lancaster farm was visited/inspected/raided by federal agents a year ago. Allgyer has been selling his milk in Maryland and DC, violating rules against interstate sales.  His customers are said to be…
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…
When was the last time you went car shopping? Â Have a fun time? If you were buying new, odds are you had to pick through a whole pile of choices. Amish buggy buyers have their fair shake of options to choose from too–everything from the upholstery to the lighting to the dash to the battery holder (a relatively new feature in Lancaster County has the…
Following up last week’s look inside a New York Amish living room, we have a couple more photos of an Amish home interior, courtesy of SUNY-Potsdam anthropology professor Karen Johnson-Weiner. These shots were taken in a home in the Swiss Amish settlement in Clarion County, Pennsylvania. Swiss Amish tend to be fairly plain, and I think this interior reflects that. A few things jumped out…
About a month ago I shared 10 views of Lancaster County. Today, 10 more: If you missed it:Â 10 views of Big Valley, PA And some recent Lancaster County posts: Abner the Bookbinder The Amish Light Switch Lancaster County 50 years ago