A few items of interest for your Friday: Amish winter headwear Reader Slightly-handled-Order-man recently asked: Could you write an article on Amish winter clothing? Well, I don’t know about a whole article, but why don’t we start with the head? The Amish straw hat is an icon, and comes in a wide range of styles. But did you know that when it gets chilly many…
I picked up a copy of the 2011 Lancaster County Business Directory on my recent visit to Pennsylvania. If you want to find a business in Lancaster County, this is the guide to have. The 448-page 2011 edition has a circulation of 60,000 and can be found at area businesses. Amish shops, especially retail stores, often have copies of the guide near the entrance, free…
When the going gets tough, sometimes low-tech saves high-tech. The video below was shot last week during heavy snows near Ottawa, Pennsylvania. I doubt either of these guys imagined they’d be doing this when they woke up that morning. Hope they ate their Wheaties, but looks like the horses certainly did: Did you catch the field mouse running for his life in the middle…
I’m no pro when it comes to photos. In fact, I’m a big believer in the volume school of photography. Maybe you know it? It’s only become possible thanks to digital cameras. Volume school photographers know that the more photos you take, the higher the chances a few will come out alright. So I try to snap a bunch. Of course, it helps if you…
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 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…
Say the words “Pennsylvania Amish”, and Lancaster County inevitably comes to mind. But Pennsylvania is a state covered with Amish settlements, with over 50 as of 2010 (see Young Center 2010). The Amish community in Juniata County is one of the Keystone State’s many lesser-known settlements. I had a chance to visit Juniata County last week while returning to Lancaster County from Big Valley. Juniata…
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. 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. In addition to the ones I mentioned in this post, I…
I’m a big fan of trains. There is something about riding the rails that is impossible to replicate in any other form of transportation. Perhaps it’s the feeling of open-country freedom, or the sheer might of the multi-ton machine, or the leaving-the-station romance that train travel conjures. Trains seem to fit Europe. Roads are generally poorer, fuel more expensive, and population clustered dense in cities….
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. Dauphin County is home to a sizeable Lancaster Amish daughter settlement. Taken near the aptly-named Plainville, New…
Happy Groundhog Day! (UPDATED BELOW) Something tells me that with the weather lately, old Punxsutawney Phil might just see his shadow, dooming us to 6 weeks more winter. Punxsutawney, of course, is the central Pennsylvania town known for holding the most prominent Groundhog Day celebration, complete with a tuxedoed band of residents known as the “Inner Circle” who care for Phil and interpret his prognostications….