There is just one Swartzentruber Amish community in Pennsylvania, and it looks like they will soon be gone from the state. Following well-publicized disputes over building codes, outhouses and SMV triangles, the Swartzentruber Amish community in Cambria County, PA, is dwindling. Â The settlement is down to 9 families (from a peak of 21), “with the rest planning to be moved by the end of next…
The Amish smoke alarm issue has been ongoing for a number of years in New York state. David Belton, who made the PBS Amish documentary, has written an article on the topic for BBC. Swartzentruber Amish in northern New York have violated building codes by not installing smoke alarms in their homes, leading to fines and court cases. The core of the objection appears similar…
Karen Johnson-Weiner shares a photo of homemade Amish soap, the work of a Swartzentruber Amish woman. It’s interesting to see the range of home amenities used by Amish. When it comes to cleaning products, you get families who buy fine hand lotions from places like Wal-Mart to those who still make their own soaps. Here’s a close-up. Â If I didn’t know otherwise, I might have…
Mention “Ohio Amish”, and most people think of the large settlement at Holmes County, or perhaps Geauga County to its north. But just a short ways down the road from the large Holmes settlement lies an often-overlooked but sizeable Amish community. Â Amish have lived in Ashland and neighboring Medina County for nearly sixty years. Ashland and Medina County Amish About 2,000 Amish live here, in…
Over the past few weeks we’ve tried to show the diverse interiors of Amish homes, from the plainer to the more progressive. I hope you enjoy this shot today from a more conservative Swartzentruber Amish home: What do you spy on that dresser? Hanging around: Special thanks to Karen Johnson-Weiner (author of New York Amish: Life in the Plain Communities of the Empire State)Â for sharing…
Following up last week’s photo of a Michigan Amish kitchen, we have another shot courtesy of Karen Johnson-Weiner. Â I think you’ll notice quite a difference between this week’s and last week’s photos. This one was taken in a Swartzentruber Amish kitchen. Â Swartzentruber Amish are among the plainest and most conservative Amish groups: I’ve zoomed in on a couple of bits. Â The utensils: And the stove:…
How active are Amish in mission work? As touched on in “So you want to join the Amish“, Amish have traditionally looked more inward than outward, focusing spiritual energies on their own rather than seeking converts. But that doesn’t mean they shun all mission-minded outreach. There has been historical interest in mission work within the Amish. The New Order Amish movement grew, in part, out of an…
Reader Alyssa writes: I have one question about the Swartzentruber Amish: do they have assurance of salvation? To put it bluntly, do they have Jesus in their hearts in order to go to heaven? Are they true Christians? In fact, I think this is 2, or even 3 separate questions. Â I can take a shot at the first, though. Most Amish do not believe in…
Which Bible do Amish use? Â Typically, the Amish use the German Martin Luther version, particularly for church readings. Â For an English version, the most favored translation is the King James edition (KJV). Some Amish use the New International Version (NIV) as well. Â Often, the Bible Amish read in the home will have a dual format-German on one side of the page, English on the other….
Update: I wrote the following after my first visit to the South’s largest Amish community way back in 2010. I didn’t know a lot about it, other than it was a very traditional community. I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly the Amish at Ethridge were. I hope you enjoy my impressions from the Ethridge Amish community. If you end up visiting maybe you’ll experience…