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I grew up watching Jeopardy! The answer is: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The question is: Where do you go to find the most Amish? That would have been my guess. And, I would have been wrong. You too? As it turns out, the 350,000 Amish in the United States span across 31 states. Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has the third largest Amish population. The second largest settlement of the Amish is around Elkhart, Indiana. And, if you want to find the largest concentration of Amish, more than 40,000 people, head to Holmes County in Ohio. The Amish comprise half of the county's population.
I vaguely remember this because Holmes County was my mother's "go to" destination of choice in Ohio. She loved everything Amish because of her own German heritage. And, I loved my German heritage every time she made German potato salad.
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You may guess that corn is growing on the left. The mystery grain drying on the right is oats.
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ARRIVAL IN THE NEW WORLD The Amish first came to Pennsylvania in the early to mid 1700s. They came for religious freedom because they had been persecuted by both Catholics and Protestants in Europe. They also came for the chance to own farmland in the United States. Most of them had been tenant farmers in their homelands. More Amish came in the 18th and 19th centuries, expanding into Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, and Illinois. The first Amish to settle in Holmes Country arrived in 1809.
If you know anything about the Amish, you know they are farmers. You can expect to see corn knee-high by the Fourth of July, as well as oats, goats, cows and sows. Except, one of the first things I learned on a three-hour tour was that only about 10% of the Amish are farmers. The top two occupations are construction (and they travel across the state to do their work) and hand-crafted furniture (that goes much farther than just the state line).
A THREE HOUR TOUR Yes, that's right, I took a three-hour-tour through Amish country. Now, I've known all my life that you should never take a three-hour-tour unless you want to end up on a desert isle with Gilligan and Mary Ann. Fortunately, the weather never started getting rough and our spacious van was not tossed. The guide was raised a conservative Mennonite but left the community to go out into the world when he went to Bible College. He was an excellent source of information about all things Amish and he still had excellent ties with the community. (FYI: The faith beliefs of Amish and Mennonites are similar. However, Mennonites may own vehicles and telephones as well as have electricity in their homes.)
Right from the start, it was made clear that in the Amish community, you are either Amish or English. Think about that English community for a moment. You can certainly see that there are lots of variations among those English. It would include Baptists, Catholics, atheists, people with brown, white, or black skin, English-speakers, people who speak no English at all, and an endless supply of other categories. Still, if you aren't Amish, you are English. The surprise to me was there are lots of differences among the Amish as well. They do not all nicely fit into just one group.
If you know anything about the Amish, you know they are farmers. You can expect to see corn knee-high by the Fourth of July, as well as oats, goats, cows and sows. Except, one of the first things I learned on a three-hour tour was that only about 10% of the Amish are farmers. The top two occupations are construction (and they travel across the state to do their work) and hand-crafted furniture (that goes much farther than just the state line).
A THREE HOUR TOUR Yes, that's right, I took a three-hour-tour through Amish country. Now, I've known all my life that you should never take a three-hour-tour unless you want to end up on a desert isle with Gilligan and Mary Ann. Fortunately, the weather never started getting rough and our spacious van was not tossed. The guide was raised a conservative Mennonite but left the community to go out into the world when he went to Bible College. He was an excellent source of information about all things Amish and he still had excellent ties with the community. (FYI: The faith beliefs of Amish and Mennonites are similar. However, Mennonites may own vehicles and telephones as well as have electricity in their homes.)
Right from the start, it was made clear that in the Amish community, you are either Amish or English. Think about that English community for a moment. You can certainly see that there are lots of variations among those English. It would include Baptists, Catholics, atheists, people with brown, white, or black skin, English-speakers, people who speak no English at all, and an endless supply of other categories. Still, if you aren't Amish, you are English. The surprise to me was there are lots of differences among the Amish as well. They do not all nicely fit into just one group.
Part of my tour included a horse-drawn carriage factory. The factory had two employees (at least on the day I visited). Because you aren't to dress or do anything flashy, the choice of color for your carriage is either black or black. For the interior fabric, there is flexibility with black, grey, and certain shades of blue and burgundy. (I was really surprised about the burgundy.) But, you better check to see if the color is acceptable before selecting your interior. And, if the people at the factory don't think the color is acceptable, they just will not use it. Additionally, some Amish people like rubber around their carriage tires and other prefer metal. I can't tell you which group prefers what or why. I do remember that more conservative carriage drivers have open windows with cloth curtains that you can roll up and tie in place. Other drivers permit actual windows in their buggies.
I was a little depressed that a new horse-drawn carriage costs more than my current car. The actual buggy would cost about $6,000. Then, you'd need a horse that probably would start at $3,000 but could go so much higher. Finally, you'd need a barn for that horse and 60 pounds of grain per week. And, somebody has to follow behind that horse with a shovel. Not me, I'm going to stick with my Toyota.
There is an intended purpose behind what and how the Amish dress. The style of clothing is one more way of expressing their faith in God and maintaining a separation from the world. There is no jewelry. Amish women wear long, modest, full-length dresses as well as bonnets covering their heads. There are many styles of bonnets, but married women wear white bonnets and single women wear black bonnets. The bonnet is actually a prayer covering and the hair it protects is never cut. The hair is worn in a bun and pinned to the back of the head.
Of course, the Amish men dress in similarly conservative ways in dark suits with straight-cut coats and no lapels. There are no belts. Men either wear suspenders or rely on the four buttons along the top of their pants to do the job. Wide-brimmed hats are either black or made of straw. Married men grow beards, but they never wear a mustache. It was a part of maintaining humility. That was a mystery until my guide explained that in Europe, important people used to wear a mustache. The more important they thought they were, the bigger and more elaborate the mustache. Not wearing a mustache stopped that display of vanity.
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Bummer.
I really wanted to photograph the beautiful rustic things around the farm. No, I wouldn't sneak a picture of a family member. But, what harm would there be in taking a picture of aging red paint on a barn? I never found out. I never took a photo. And, hands down, it was the best moment of the day!
The Miller family (which is the most common last name in Holmes County) made basket items to sell to visiting English tourists. When everyone finished shopping, I had time to talk to the son who handled the shop. This stop was my only chance to speak to the Amish while on the tour. And the young man was warm and friendly, with his bare feet, straw hat, and button-up trousers.
Since I live in Columbus, he was very interested in the Columbus Zoo. It appears that two of his brothers and a sister had visited it. I don't know how they managed to do that. Some Amish are just fine and dandy riding in an automobile if they don't own the vehicle. That is not the way of the Shwartzentruber. They won't ride in a car unless it is a medical emergency. And, I'm not sure how they'd ever call for help because they don't have cell phones either.
Actually, there is quite a list of things the Shwartzentruber Amish don't have. No indoor bathrooms, no running water, no gas lights, no solar power. If you happen to pass a Shwartzentruber Amish buggy in your neighborhood, you'll notice they don't have windshields, mirrors, reflectors, or the slow-moving vehicle triangles to warn approaching traffic. That would just be too showy.
After talking with the son, I also spoke to the mother. She probably also made baskets. It appeared the whole family did, but at that moment, she showed off her quilting skills. As it turns out, I have the top of a quilt that my grandmother made. It needs the interior padding as well as a backing applied. I've never known anyone able to do this because it must be done by hand (the way my grandmother did it). If you find a quilter today, most people use their sewing machine. But now, thanks to my own little Shwarzentruber connection, I may have found a way to complete the quilt. If I'm just forced to keep in touch with this family, it will be a pleasure. And maybe, possibly, if I have enough communication with them, I'll see how it might be possible for one certain young man to visit the Columbus Zoo.