This Amish community surprised me
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 พ.ค. 2022
- Come along as we visit an off-the-beaten-path Amish community in Ohio. This was my first time visiting this settlement and I knew almost nothing about it. There are over 600 Amish communities in North America and there are usually happy surprises to be found when you visit them.
I have a rough plan in mind when I arrive but get a little lost...and eventually find my way again with the help of an Amishman I meet on the road. I also point out some other interesting features of this community, one in particular which surprised me.
My name is Erik Wesner and I'm not Amish. Back in 2004, I met the Amish while selling books. Since then, I've visited 5,000+ Amish homes & dozens of Amish communities. I run the Amish America website. More: amishamerica.com/
Holmes County Amish buggy image: Don Burke (www.flickr.com/photos/ozarkin...)
It's so fun to visit all the Bulk Food Stores! Here in the Dayton/Springfield, Ohio area, we are surrounded in every direction with plain communities of one form or another. We have a lot of Dunkards/German Baptists, Mennonites, Amish, Quakers and more. Thank you for sharing.
You Must Visit Lehmans Amish Store in Kidron Ohio. It’s voted the best one! It has hardware, kitchen supplies, even cast iron pans etc. all the things the Amish purchase we can too. It has food etc. you can even order online. I am going to order!!! Please go there would love to see it!!
I live near Lehman's its a great resource
There is a lemans in Missouri too.
Lehmans used to be a lot better. A lot of sh*t made in china there
I have ordered from them. The products are good quality.
In the meantime you could see Lehmans shop by watching one or two of the 'Off Grid with Doug and Stacy' channel's videos because Stacy loves going shopping there. Very enjoyable to watch. 😊
There's an Amish community near Fort Scott, KS and Garnett, KS. Ft. Scott are very plain and keep to themselves for the most part. The Amish in Garnett own restaurants, furniture stores, etc and are very outgoing and colorful.
I've heard that about Ft. Scott. Would love to visit out in Kansas sometime. I think Garnett and Ft. Scott are pretty different in terms of the tech they allow etc.
@@AmishAmerica indeed, Garnett has cars, cell phones, and what not. I haven't been to the homes of the Garnett people though, so I don't know what home life is like.
As a Trailways bus operator in Northern NYS, I interact with the Amish nearly daily. I pick them up, and drop them off, all throughout my route between Syracuse and Massena. I can tell you that the Amish are like any other people. They are all different in many ways, and some are much nicer than others. I enjoyed this video, as I do most of yours. The neatness of the printing on one of the signs in the store is something that I'm happy to see being held onto by the Amish. Writing with a pen/pencil on paper is something that should never go away. Maybe I'll see you on my bus someday. See you in the next video.
I always wondered what Trailways was. Is it a tour group? I live in upstate NY and see the buses on the thruways occassionally.
Thanks Ronnie. Great observation on the penmanship. And it seems Amish children still learn cursive. I think I would enjoy one of those bus rides
@@AmishAmerica I think you would enjoy it also. So much positive energy from the Amish. They always have a smile and friendly greeting for me.
And Allen County Scottville Kentucky.
I enjoyed watching all of your Video Thank You for Sharing all of your Video .GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY 💖 and have a great day and Take Care.
There is a community in Ringgold County Iowa. They are very friendly people. I have got eggs from one of the families and some potatoes too. The children is the amazing thing. They don't act up and are well behaved.
In Decatur county also.
Love your videos and appreciate your sharing with us all. I live in NY State a mile from Shohola Pennsylvania and am looking forward to seeing Lancaster county Pennsylvania soon. Haven't visited in twenty years plus. I am going through medical issues with my bile duct cancer spread to my stomach etc., but, I believe in God's grace and mercy. Thank you 😊 again. HUGS and GOD bless us everyone
Thank you very much, I had never heard of Shohola PA, love the name though. My prayers for you and I hope you enjoy a visit to Lancaster soon 🙂 Iooked up Shohola and looks like you're not too far away👍
They keep their land all best and tidy beautiful scenery
Thanks for taking us with you Mr. Wesner. How were the milk chocolate pretzels?
Gladly, and thanks for joining - to be honest I think I ended up giving the pretzel box to someone, but I'm pretty sure these are not bad. They are Walnut Creek brand, which is a large Ohio producer which supplies a lot of Amish stores. So their products are not like Amish grandma-homemade quality level, but you could do worse :)
Excellent videos, Erik. I love this format. I'm not from the US but I love the country and would love to visit an Amish community so I can have a taste of their cuisine someday!
Glad you like it and I hope you get a chance to do just that!
Man that’s so awesome I wish more amish would move toward southwest va because towards the mountains of blue ridge I’m seeing lots of mennonites there but no amish and there’s lots of land but it can be rough up there
Did you know there is one Amish community at Pearisburg (Giles County), not a big one, but friendly place with a great store. I recorded there last December as well in the store, will put that one up soon I hope. If you're nearby it's worth a trip, great sandwiches 🙂 There's also a community in Burke's Garden, amazing place
@@AmishAmerica yes I saw them on the website and would love to visit! But sadly I’m only a teen in high school and can’t drive 2 hrs to both but I have been to the Union grove Nc amish settlement and actually spoke to the store owners and the workers they were very friendly with my questions about the store!
Gotcha - well might make a great family road trip if your folks like awesome sandwiches :) Burke's Garden has a couple of nice general/food stores as well
@@AmishAmerica that’s right!
That are some Amish People in Allentown County Scott ville Kentucky..too Me and Mom and Dad used to visit them too they were real nice people . I love the Chocolate Chips Cookies and They Bread 🍞
Beautiful scenery great content thank you so much God bless you all
Thank you! Glad you liked it
I remember when I first started going to Beachy's Bulk Foods in Arthur, IL. It was kind of small. It is about 3 times the size now. Maybe more, they keep expanding. Nice video!
There is a Amish community in Adams county, Ohio. Not sure how large the community is there but, there are two large stores there that get a lot of tourists: Millers, and Keim. They have yummy bakeries, beautiful furniture, and lots of other nice things. Would love to know more about them.
I've been to the Keim one in Adams County
Thanks for sharing. Blessings everyone
Enjoyed this very much! Watching from Florida!
Dear Erik, Another good video. I enjoyed the anticipation of your determining the origin of this community, that is, from central Pennsylvania. I enjoy these little tours of the different settlements, and the overview of their enterprises. Very interesting and informative. What is so good about your videos is that you have an experienced eye for telling details. For example, I liked seeing their schools and the details you brought to our attention. Thank you again. I like these short videos which you devote to one settlement and where you concentrate on a few details. Keep up the good work. Sincerely, Larry Clarence Lewis, Ontario, Canada.
Thanks Larry - and great to hear you describe what it was you liked about it. This one was a lot of fun as I didn't know what to expect (usually that's the best way to go about it) and had a little hunt adventure along the way. It's very enjoyable to discover these places and also shed a little light, hopefully other people will enjoy visiting this store and others. Looking forward to doing some more of these, thanks again👍
Another enjoyable video, thanks for sharing.
Love this video. More road trips, please! There's this great furniture shop kind of across the road from Heini's Cheese Shop in Holmes County where I bought a dining set and night tables. I recall it had lovely furniture. Also a quilt shop with amazing handiwork where I bought two bedspreads years ago. That was off a lane about 5 miles from the furniture shop.
Glad you liked it Lisa. I'll be happy to do more of these. I plan to be in Lancaster County next month so hope to film some interesting things there. Also have several more store visits to share, one is an Ohio furniture shop, not Holmes County but I hope you'll like it👍
Erik, have you ever done a video on the horses the Amish use? I was told during a tour around the Shipshewana area that oftentimes the ones you see pulling buggies were bred for harness racing. Is that common? They sure do look lovely trotting along. Clearly some Amish must have one or two buggy horses but also a few pulling horses for farming.
I always enjoy your videos and learn something with each one I watch. Thank you for sharing them! I wanted to say that the filming technique on this video was quite smooth and easy to watch. I appreciate that you put in some still shots so that my eyes could settle for a minute. :)
Glad you thought so - I have been trying that technique to make the in-store filming smoother at least until I improve the filming technique 👍 IMO there are some interesting details in these places that require a bit longer view to catch
I live near Philadelphia PA but I just got back home today. I went camping in Lancaster County PA in a town called Ronks. Right next to the campground was an Amish farm. Their cow actually wandered over into the campground and mom accompanied by 4 kids walked over to get her. Her husband was in the fields plowing till it got too dark to see and then he was working in the barn. Shortly after that the entire farm went dark. Pitch black! Unbelievably hard working folks. I tried to stay away from the Lancaster area tourist traps and I drove around a lot on the backroads checking out the farmlands. I stopped at some farms to buy things: eggs, asparagus, plants, a bird feeder, whatever. Mostly I just wanted to meet the local Amish people and chat with them for a few moments: on their own turf. The kids were so respectful. However, some of the young guys drive their buggies around like they’re hot rods! 😂 I had a great time! I’m definitely going back for another visit
I always enjoy your videos thanks so much very informative!
Thanks very much!
I wanna figure out how to make that chow chow. It looks great! Thanks for sharing your visit
That was a nice visit.
Hey Matt, I would love to hear bout what the Amish’s relationship is like with indigenous people both historically and currently.
I love seeing these beautiful rural places and hearing how they came to be there is very interesting. I love the Amish Bulk Stores, I've been in a few back East, but unfortunately we don't have any here in Southern California that I know of. Thanks for sharing another tidbit of information for us.
Would be neat to hear of an Amish community in California one day. There was one long ago. Probably not too likely in the near future, but one never knows :) Glad you liked it!
Great 👍 find thanks for sharing, kinda gives u a taste of the renno Amish with out having to go all the way to Pennsylvania
Quite interesting. I missed this one when it originally came out.
Thanks for sharing! Very close to home for me! There are more in Jackson County
Thanks
You have the best voice on TH-cam. Love your slight accent. Here in western mass the accent is so flat. Well then we once had plain Shakers. Love your channel.
Awesome video! There are so many Amish communities in Ohio.
Thanks Graham! You are right...and while I always like going to the larger communities, there's something about going to an off-the-beaten path smaller place you've never been before. I hope my enjoyment came through in this vid :)
Hi Erik, pretty countryside and nice store. I noticed they have several Walnut Creek items. I could go for the milk chocolate pretzels but I will let you have the chow chow to yourself lol
The chow chow ended up being a gift as well :)
Hadn't realized that Pike County Ohio ,had such nice flat lands , looks pretty , I was born Amish in Pike Co.Ohio , in the Amish settlement that went extinct in 1954 in the other end of the county ,close to the "Bomb" plant.....Its really rough there ,and looks like 3rd world country ,can't see why my folks ,and the Stoll's chose to live over there , when this land was close by , think the land there was cheaper .....like $30 acre stuff......We did keep up with the people that made a ranch out of the Amish farms vacated there in Pike County in 1954 ,...An Interesting note on it is that the headquarters of the Wagner Ranch is on the old Peter Stoll farm there .That's the Stoll's from Aylmer,Ont. now ..(Yeah ,its the infamous Wagners of Pike Co. Ohio recent history) ....we toured the house some years ago, when Old George Wagner was still alive ,he was real nice indeed ....
I hear the Dutchman store in Cantril Iowa is a large Amish/Mennonite bulk store. Haven't been there yet as it's a couple hours away from me, but my ex-brother in-law said its well worth the trip. Until then, I just hit 2 in Lamoni one on an actual farm south of town and 1 at the visitor center. There is also a Maid Rite sandwich place there too. Yummy!
Love your videos, I’m a new subscriber that’s been binge watching! Can you pls recommend a community in Michigan that I can visit in order to buy some fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese, milk or foods like that. I’d love if there would be an Amish restaurant too in the area. Thank you!
Happy to hear that! So the largest Michigan community is in the area of Centreville in St. Joseph County. I'm not sure if there is an Amish-style restaurant there, but given the size there is a good chance there would be several places for foods etc. However if you go to Centreville you are so close to the very large community in northern Indiana, it may be worth making the trip there (lots of restaurants, Amish stores, etc. there). Here's a link to community locations across the US, Michigan has several dozen+ groups.etown.edu/amishstudies/files/2021/08/Amish-Pop-2021_by-state-and-county.pdf
I've been watching your videos recently, thanks for your content. I would like to know what's the relationship that the Amish have with culture, like literature. Do they read the classics? What do they read? You used to sell books to them, but I couldn't find any video about this in your channel.
Amish Land is so Beautiful
I love the Amish people.
I work at a childrens hospital and we care for a lot of Amish children for complex genetic problems. Some of their kids get life threatening cases of chicken pox. They end up with pox inside their organs and such. It's heartbreaking. I wish they would incorporate childhood vaccines.
And Allen County Kentucky Thank You Beatrice Jane Belk from Tulsa Oklahoma
I googled Beaver and saw the bulk food store exactly where you were looking, and where it is not located. Funny, there is a car rental place near me outside Raleigh on US70 but google places it about 3 or 4 miles away in a wooded area. I had to call them for directions.
Thanks, you get two thumbs up for confirming these Google glitches happen :) Usually I'm pretty good with maps, but it had me on the wrong side of the highway. NC native👍👍
Oh yes they do; where as I drive for a living I live on Google maps here's an FYI you can edit Google maps sometimes you succeed and they correct and sometimes they don't I always figure it's worth a try it really helps if you get directed right to the place especially when you're on a schedule and for me I need to get ppl to their appointments on time
Oh wow Mifflin County PA that's my hometown. Cool
Looks like the rural regions around were I live in southern Germany, with all that acres, shallow wooded hills, clusters of pine trees in the middle of somewhere, the natural water canal beside the road. Relatively precisely actually. It is, as if the amish (or mennonites) had memorized their original geographical origin and memorized it within the community over the last centuries. The "Emmental" is less than 400km away of my hometown. Fascinating.
I thought the Big Valley Amish community had yellow buggies. Thanks for sharing. Loved seeing the store.
There are actually 3 colors in that area - yellow (Byler Amish), black (Renno Amish), and white (Nebraska Amish). Happy that you liked it!
@@AmishAmerica Oh yes, I should have thought of the Nebraska Amish as they are my sister's neighbors .
You gotta come to NW PA sometime
Would love to - lot of communities there especially Crawford & Mercer Counties. I was only in Mercer once, for a bit. In that area you can easily do what I did here on this trip in KY & OH - visited about 7 different communities in a short time. Fun!
I visit Mattoon & fairview ky quite often and do much trading with them
Been to Lancaster, PA
I’ve been meaning to ask you this after thinking about it today. But what do the Amish do in case of a tornado warning? Especially when they are definitely in the states that get them. 🌪
Other than that, great video as always. It’s nice to see that some are also in Pike County, Ohio.
That's a good question - and sadly some Amish lost their lives in the tornadoes which struck Kentucky last year, to take one example. Many/most Amish homes have basements, I recently saw one that even had a storm shelter (I think it was pre-existing before the built there though). The Amish family in KY that was killed lived in a trailer home so they did not have any underground shelter option. They often would rely on getting word from non-Amish neighbors when tornado conditions are imminent.
@@AmishAmerica Ahh, ok. Basements definitely come very well in handy in case there is one. Do they also carry the comprehensive insurance in case this does happen such as to the ones who tragically lost their lives in Kentucky?
No as a rule the Amish don't carry commercial insurance, the principle which comes into play there is mutual aid, the church will help with medical bills and rebuilding. If needs are greater than what the church can cover, they may have benefit events like auctions or dinners, or reach out to other communities as well. Good question I need to do a proper video on it👍
Here in Wisconsin just about every city town and village has warning sirens but not all back in 2001 a town north of me didn’t have and alot of people got caught of guard I don't remember how many but people did lose their lives and this village was a Norman Rockwell looking place where all the streets were lined with trees and it purty much wiped them all out if you had seen the town before it's unrecognizable now
nice cell tower!!!
You need to come up to western new york state we have alot of amish moving in here . Come over to centerville ny we have the Delaware Amish here.
Would love to, that area is on my list👍
@@AmishAmerica That would be really cool . Maybe we can meet up and get some amish pizza at the Rabers place good stuff.
One thing I am curious about. I thought that Amish avoided modern day things, e.g., electricity, cars e.t.c., so I was suprised to see they use plastic packaging, which is definitely a modern thing. Do all Amish communities use plastic or are there some the avoid it as well?
Yes on the plastic and other things like that, that is a misconception. They do restrict things like electricity and car usage, but no Amish I know of have an issue with plastic. It's not so much about something being "modern"/non-natural as it is about accepting a technology that could potentially harm the family or church community. Plastic poses no such threat, and is cheap and useful for many things to boot 👍
@@AmishAmerica thanks for the information
I'm hosting a horse show just a couple miles away at henderson's arena in just a couple days edit I looked at the map it's two miles from Beaver we moved the show from northern ohio to down by my farm the buckeye spring classic
Neat, hope the show goes great!
If anyone is in the area they should check out 4 Mile Bakery at Jackson , Oh. Which wouldn’t be that far away. They are advertised as an Amish Bakery and have wonderful products. There is a furniture store there as well.
@@beckyray8746 mmmmm 4 mile live so close but haven't been there for a couple years I need to stop by the four mile greenhouse this summer for some plants for the garden railroad give me an excuse to go to the bakery
Awesome you mentioned Jackson, I went to that community after this one. The bakery was closed but I did film in a couple other Amish stores there including the furniture store, met some nice people, seems like a nice community👍
@@beckyray8746 I've gone to that bakery a few times the doughnuts are huge and oh so good. The two Amish kids that hang out there are so cute always selling something. A group of us from Chillicothe are planning on going there the first Saturday of July.
Some tourist must have put this bulk food store on Google map reviews.
my mothers family is from Iowa but they moved to wyoming in the 1970s
Heading to Amish country in a few weeks!
Have a great visit!
I wonder what they use the tomatoes and pineapple cans for
Another great video. Do Amish invest in gold and silver?
I live near Beachy's in Arthur, Il. You've probably been there before.
You ever decide come to Jamesport Mo let know & they big 2 day auction you need to CK out .
I'm an Amish enthusiast lol what's the biggest bulk food store you have been to. E&S Shipshewanna I is huge..and their flee markets on Tues and wed s
Probably an stupid question - but do you know if any Amish bulk food business have a online option for us 'English'. (Love the style of this video.)
Not a stupid question, others have wondered as well :) Unfortunately I am not aware of one...and I understand the convenience factor, but on the other hand, having to make the trip and find the store etc. gives you a memorable story to go along with it, and maybe even makes the goodies you buy taste better...hopefully you have Amish within driving distance, it can be a lot of fun!
@dav m @pretty lady says in her comment that you can order online from the kindon Ohio store I'm sure if you reach out to her she'll get you the info for that place; good luck
It’s true the store in Kidron is Lehman’s and they do have a website. You can go on line and see all kinds of cool stuff. You can also order over the phone. (I used to order the homemade ice cream powdered mix pouches that our church used for the annual Ice Cream Social.) They also can mail out magazines of their products from which you can order. Lehmans has just about anything. The store is massive. If you are more interested in the bulk foods, go on line and look for Troyer Market (Millersburg, Ohio) They have a website and contact information.
Also go online and check out Walnut Creek Foods (also in Millersburg) . I have a local store where I can purchase their wonderful products but I know their foods can be bought and shipped. Hope this helps.
What becky ray mentions, those are definitely nice options - not Amish-owned but they will have similar products, so pretty close overall. And there are definitely other online sources for Amish/Amish-style products if you don't want it directly from an Amish business
The amish stores always sell the same brands (Jake & Amos, Walnut Creek, Troyer's)
True, many do. And those brands are not really "Amish" in terms of their ownership, fwiw. I like the places which offer some local producers, for instance canned goods from the area or a nearby Amish community
I had a question about riding horse/horse and buggy. Could an Amish person ride it anywhere, even outside of an Amish community? Also, could an English person own a horse and buggy?
I believe they can ride outside the community but I doubt you'd see that if they go their usually going for supplies and usually most if not all of the family goes so it just makes sense to take the buggy; anybody in America can own a horse and buggy where you'd not be allowed would be within city limits unless there's a boarding facility available or it's small and rural enough that it's allowed; so if you can make it work get yourself a horse and buggy; good luck
Google is not exactly correct, ever!
No close would be more accurate
You should looking to Amish along northeastern ohio and nothweast pa….
👍
Wow! Why is the stuff in the Amish store so expensive?
It may depend which store and product - if you saw the video from a few weeks ago on the bent-n-dent place, prices were more attractive there :)
Do the Amish try to buy from other Amish (in other parts of the country) first before buying from non-Amish?
Thanks Erik for taking us along on your trip. I remember going out and losing my way trying to find the Amish places too. What fun!! LincNebr
Ha maybe this gave you a little deja vu, as you know it definitely can happen when looking for Amish places, but that's part of the fun
@@AmishAmerica that's true... part of the fun. So many nights sleeping in my car too. 🙃 To be able to do that again...
The Amish will not be filmed. Seems like the Communities are getting Much Smaller ..
Another good one, Erik. But, I like your older style videos better...
Sure thing John, glad you thought so. Just curious, which style do you mean? Happy to hear more. Lately I mix it up with some shorter informative ones and some visits
@@AmishAmerica See the e-mail I sent you... TNX!
Can regular folks send their kids to an Amish school?
I've never heard of it happening :) The curriculum would in most cases be rather different from non-Amish curriculum (in some cases very different, with the more conservative Amish schools). The only non-Amish who go to Amish schools that I know of are Mennonite children in some places (eg. Lancaster County, PA). Now having said that, I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere at some point in time non-Amish children have attended an Amish school before
I believe it could happen their curriculum must meet state standards and requirements, and I'd dare say that they probably way surpass what gets taught in public schools these days most young men come out of 8th grade with the ability to run a business
@@AmishAmerica My kids are too young to go to school, but there is no way I'm sending them to a public school, especially with what's going on. I don't know if you've heard of what went down a few days ago in a public school in New England, but it involved children being exposed to an extremely explicitlive live performance from the LGBTQ community. I am aghast. I will never trust my children in the public school system, and I wonder if an Anish school would be a possible alternative. There is one not to far from me. Do the Amish have a Pastor or a Bishop I may talk to, to ask?
@Bethany Grace every Amish community has a bishop and elders, any of them will be willing to talk to you, you won't be out anything but the asking, and if you don't ask you'll never know, good luck your defiantly think right and the situation sadly could be even worse by the time they would go off to school, and there's always home schooling
Why are Amish businesses closed on Thursday?
They're not closed Thursday as a rule, it's just that some Amish stores take a weekday off. For instance it might be the day that the woman who runs the store does other work around the home. And for some it might be Thursday, others it might be a different day. And others are open every weekday. However no stores will ever be open on Sunday. One of the few "Amish absolutes"
What percentage of Amish stop being Amish when they transition into adults?
I saw a mennonite community in Alabama, know anything about them?
Do the Amish ask non-Amish people to order things off the internet for them?
Yes they do sometimes.
I'm kind of surprised that they use plastics and aluminum
may I ask why that surprises you?
@@emmib1388 it just seems like a group of people that won't use rubber tires because they are disposable wouldn't have used plastic or thin aluminum products meant to be thrown away.
@@spacecase0 they don't use rubber tires because they are disposable? Where did you hear that? You do realize, that Amish are like everyone else, some may use plastic, while others, not.
@@emmib1388 apparently I'm watching misleading videos on TH-cam. Hard to know what to believe at this point has I'm just not in one of those areas
@@spacecase0 each Amish community makes up their own rules. While some do not use rubber, I have never heard of it because they are disposable. continue watching Eric's videos and you will learn more each time ...
I hear Amish grow tobacco. Do Amish smoke?
Some use beachy Amish dip ,chew
As always with the Amish it depends on if the bishop of each community approves of it doesn't, I've been in communities that did allow smoking and I've been in communities that didn't we're back to it depends on the community's bishop
First!?