Amish women let their hair grow, so they have a lot of it. Â Hair pins keep all those locks in place, up underneath a prayer covering. I thought I’d give you a look at some plain hair pins. Â I picked these up at an Amish dry goods shop (not for personal use, demonstration purposes only, ha-ha). They’re thick and sturdy, about 3 inches long, and…
For many, Pennsylvania (and specifically Lancaster County) is synonymous with the Amish. Â But PA, of course, is more than just Lancaster. In fact, the state is home to the largest number of individual Amish settlements, with over 50. Read more about those diverse communities in the new Pennsylvania Amish State Guide entry.
From a Lancaster friend’s home: Sharpening minds and no. 2’s: Sigh. Â I remember spending a bit more time with these, once: Here’s the full list of Amish home interior photos.
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…
The small farm has a special place in our national consciousness. Â For some, farming is a noble, even spiritual undertaking. Â The scrappy small farmer is a symbol of American perseverance. But family farming has long been in decline. Â Most of us know agriculture in the abstract. Â I was not raised on a farm but like most people I appreciate rural life, at least on a…
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…