Amish America

Photos from the Martins in Poland

 

It's the 'long weekend' in Poland (a combination of the traditional May 1st communist worker's holiday and Poland's May 3 constitution day), and I've just paid another visit to my friends Jacob and Anita Martin, whom I've written about a few times on the blog.

The Martins, who've lived in Poland since 1993, struggled a bit at first, but have been able to build themselves a very basic but cozy home in a birch forest outside of Warsaw. 
 

Anita says that at first the home was not much more than a kitchen, with she and Jacob sleeping on one end and the kids on the other.  The Martins have gradually added on and now have quite a bit of square footage.

It was not until about five years ago that they got an indoor bathroom, but now enjoy a few small luxuries, including a nice-sized fridge and a washing machine.  Anita showed me her new stove, which she uses to bake bread.

The Martins live simply but happily.  They say they get along well with most of the neighbors, who are a mixture of Warsaw 'city people' and long-time locals.  Jacob has a reputation as a dependable worker with 'farm-smarts'.  He gets called out to deliver calves from time to time.
 
Little Krzysiek (Chris) spent most of our walk yesterday trying to feed my brother and I what he called 'chocolate'--dried-up chunks of mud found by the side of the lane.  This got the other kids worked up into a near riot.  'We want you to try it first,' we told the four-year-old, who adamantly refused.

The Martins originally came to Poland with the intention of starting a Beachy Amish congregation, but soon realized that it would be more difficult than they had hoped. 

Two of the original three families soon returned to the US.  Left alone, the Martins now attend a Pentecostal church in Warsaw.

Photos here are from late April and early March.

Click for more on the Beachy Amish from the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online.

Come take a 'drive' through a PA Amish community

It might not be too clear in the photo, but in the New Wilmington, Pennsylvania Amish settlement, even the milk house doors get painted blue.  Photo from late September 2007.

And if you'd like to get a closer look at this community, Bill shares how, thanks to some lovely Google technology:

PA 208 is available in "Street View" on Google maps. The Amish settlement runs from Volant to the east of New Wilmington and to Pulaski to the west. On Google maps type in New Wilmington PA and you will find Rt. 208. Zoom in at the Intersection of 208 and Mercer Rd. and turn the image and you will find an Amish schoolhouse.

Travel west in street view and past this same intersection you will come upon two men in an open buggy on their way to work. 360's east and west of New Wilmington will give you views of Amish farms, barns, homes and out buildings. A few more buggies are on the road elsewhere. The light blue doors tell you you're in Amish country.

'They don't make manure'

Spring is here, and that means plowing and planting time.

Most Amish do not use tractors in the field.  Some will keep a tractor for around-the-barn tasks, such as filling the silo.

Why do the Amish avoid tractors?

photo: Bill Coleman

Part of the problem is their similarity to cars. 

Get comfortable behind the wheel of a tractor, the thinking goes, and it's a short hop to sitting behind the wheel of a car.

 

John A. Hostetler discusses the Amish mindframe in Amish Society:

'When tractors were first introduced on American farms, the Amish rejected them with the comments, "They don't make manure" and "They ruin the land."'

 

photo:  Randall Persing

'Tractor farmers have greater convenience, more choice as to when they will till the land, and can get the job done faster than the Amish.'

'Tractors, Amish farmers say, compact the land, which results in reduced yields.  Amish farmers who have bought land from the non-Amish have noted that the soil begins to work easier after the third year.'

 

 No Mules in the Midwest?

Horse power' may refer to actual horses, or to mules, which are especially popular among the Lancaster Amish. 

A Holmes County, Ohio acquaintance mentioned that he had heard of one or two that were starting to use mules in his area.  But generally most Midwestern Amish stick with the big draft horses, the mighty Belgians and Percherons.

photo:  Randall Persing

Hostetler says that Lancaster County Amish believe 'that mules eat less and have greater endurance.  Such preferences appear to vary among farmers, as others consider mules to be more obstinate than horses.'

 

But it looks like there's a deeper reason for the 'mule taboo' in the Buckeye state:

'In Ohio, raising mules was forbidden by an Amish Ministers' Conference in 1865 on the grounds that it was "improper to mix the creatures of God such as a horse and donkey by which mules arise, because the Lord God did not create such in the beginning."'

I wonder if Ohio Amish still feel the same way about mixing species, and particularly the dog breeders--ever hear of a 'puggle' or a 'labradoodle'?

 

An unusual crossing

Cindy Seigle snapped a few more photos of the Orange County, Indiana Amish a week or two back, after a shock of heavy rains that caused major flooding. 

Cindy says this carriage was floating around on the water as it gamely made its way across.

Hopefully the folks down there have their basements pumped out by now.  I recall a huge dumping of rain in the northern Indiana (Elkhart/Lagrange) community two summers ago.  The next day the settlement looked like a waterpark.  Didn't see any buggies-turned-boats but the place was a mess.

See more photos of this southern Indiana Amish community here and here, or direct from Cindy's site.

Montcalm County, Michigan Amish reader photos

Shannon shares some nice photos from the Amish settlement at Montcalm County, Michigan.

Shannon says that the family she knows here belongs to the 'Troyer Amish' group.

There are currently 24 Amish settlements in Michigan, according to the latest Calender, the almanac-and-guide to Amish church districts.

The oldest Michigan settlement, that in the vicinity of Centreville in St. Joseph County, dates to 1910.  It is also the largest of the Michigan settlements, with 11 church districts as of this year.

St. Joseph County may contain the oldest Michigan settlement, but it wasn't the first to be founded.

 

According to David Luthy's The Amish in America:  Settlements that failed, six settlements had already been founded in Michigan by 1910, five of which were still in existence at the time of the founding of the St. Joseph settlement.

All of these communities 'went extinct' at some point, though most were fairly long-lived, lasting 20, 30, 40 and one over 50 years.

The longest-lasting of these early settlements that went extinct was that of Mio in Oscoda County, way up in the northern part of the Michigan 'hand'.

 Mio is unusual because after its 'extinction' in 1954, no Amish lived in the area until 1970, when families from Geauga County, Ohio began to settle in the area of the former community, creating a new settlement that numbers three churches today.

Shannon says that the family she is acquainted with in Montcalm County is quite friendly with outsiders, even running a dinner service for visitors, as Amish families sometimes do.

At the same time, the group leans to the more technologically-conservative side of the spectrum, with open-front buggies and oil lamps in use.   

Thanks again to Shannon for the nice photos--see more of them at her blog Speaking in Plain Shamish.

The Amish and photos and bending the rules

Mike Fisher, who was raised Amish until the age of nine, has a couple of photos up on his blog of he, his brothers and his father dating to the time when they belonged to an Amish church.

Interesting to see.  It raises the question of just how many Amish homes have those illicit photos tucked away in the backs of drawers? 

In a larger context, I often wonder how often the rules 'get bent' in Amish society.  Sometimes you see evidence of it. 

Certain Amish acquaintances come to mind--for this particular farm family, the milkman actually shows up to collect milk when it's technically still Sunday night, rather than in the wee hours of Monday morn...

More Orange County, Indiana Amish photos

 

A few more of Cindy Seigle's Orange County, Indiana Amish photos with a few of my own comments attached.

Again, we aren't 100% sure which of the two Orange County groups each particular picture is from, but apparently there are similarities between the two groups when it comes to dress and technology.

In this photo you can see obvious signs of a lower-order buggy--no SMV triangle, side-view mirrors, or windows.         

The father's bob-style haircut is typical of the Swartzentruber group, but again, as there are similarities in appearance between the two settlements, he could in fact be a member of the Paoli group.

Some Amish kids enjoy large playgrounds with softball diamonds.  Others make due with what they have.  Meyers and Nolt write that Orange County Amish schools are likely the most austere in Indiana.  Still looks like a lot of fun.

Slowly but surely.  By foot is sometimes the simplest way to go.       

Some people express surprise at seeing more mainstream Amish in sneakers and tennis shoes.  Though I'm not sure that the lower-order groups in these photos would approve of such footwear, comfortable modern shoes are common in many Amish communities. 

In any case, the Amish do not avoid comfort for the sake of suffering.  Amish appreciate comfort as much as you and I do.  Technological restrictions and dress guidelines help to preserve community by serving as a symbolic separation from the world and hampering destructive outside influences. 

 

Open-front buggies are also a sign of a more conservative Amish group.  Many Amish venture into town quite frequently to do shopping or on general errands. 

Do the Amish ever live in town?  In some communities, such as Topeka, Indiana, or Mount Hope, Ohio, a large percentage of a hamlet's residents are actually Amish.  Sometimes elderly Amish will move into town, and some will sell their horse if they become infirm or find they are able to manage without it. 

Steel wheels are par for the course for most Amish-owned farm equipment.  Rubber is used in some groups but is less common.  Steel wheels work fine in the fields, but are a bit 'unhandy' on asphalt, which is the point. 

I remember listening to a steel-wheeled tractor approach on a rural byway near Kalona, Iowa.  You could hear it quite a long way off.  Things are not always to quiet and peaceful in Amish America. 

Thanks again to Cindy for the great photos.

Orange County, Indiana Amish reader photos

Cindy Seigle has shared some interesting photos of a conservative Amish settlement in southern Indiana.

In An Amish Patchwork, Meyers and Nolt explain that Orange County is home to two distinct Amish communities. 

The newer of the two groups is comprised of ultraconservative Swartzentruber-affiliated Amish from New York and Ohio who began settling in the area in 1994. 

 

The older of the two groups, which originated in other settlements in Indiana and Pennsylvania and is known as the Paoli group, is in many respects highly conservative as well.

Meyers and Nolt explain that both groups observe similar technological restrictions--very plain dress, buggies without storm fronts or lights, and very restricted use of 'Amish taxi' providers, for example.

 

But the groups are not identical, and in fact are unaffiliated with one another.  The authors explain the key difference:

'Yet in many ways unlike their tradition-minded Swartzentruber neighbors, the Paoli group has staunchly opposed older customs surrounding traditional courtship practices or adult smoking habits.' 

'The Paoli settlement is notable for this combination of intentional traditionalism and intentional reformism.  Their refusal to compromise on issues they deem important has led them to not affiliate with any other Amish settlements in the state.'

I am not sure which community Cindy's photos are from.

As the authors describe the two settlements as being adjacent to one another, the photos may very well be from both communities.

Click for more of Cindy Seigle's Orange County Amish photos.

The sporting Amishman, part 2

Amish Volleyball Tournament, originally uploaded by teacherholly.

Amish also enjoy competitive team sports. This photo, taken by Holly in Mount Hope, Ohio, illustrates one of the most popular.

Amish typically play sports as children and as members of the youth. On marriage and having kids, participation in sports tends to drop off markedly. It's also worth remembering that different groups of Amish may have differing opinions on the matter of sports.

Generally though, Amish do enjoy playing sports and even following pro teams. Softball is particularly popular, as an entertainment for children during breaks at school, and also with Amish teens, who play against non-Amish teams in competitive leagues.

You'll find a decent amount of Bears fans in the Amish settlement at Arthur, Illinois, though not too many that actually play football. One Amishman in southern Indiana has built a gymnasium on his property for pick-up basketball games in a nod to a sport that's particularly popular in his settlement.

Holmes County baseball fans tend to pull for the Tribe, though some may be tempted to root for the Pirates just over the state line in Pittsburgh. Lancaster County Amish enjoy hockey, skiing, and in warmer months, croquet. I haven't been able to find any Amish snowboard enthusiasts yet but I'm sure there must be some out there.

Most Amish who do follow sports manage to keep up with their favorite teams through the paper. But do the Amish ever get a chance to watch games?

An outing to the ballpark is uncommon, but does happen. Amish may also catch a game on the tube--perhaps at a non-Amish friend or relative's.

But don't expect to see too many bearded Plain guys crowded around piles of chicken wings at the local sports bar. You have to draw the line somewhere.

The sporting Amishman

 

A quick diversion from the middle of a pile of Lancaster posts (I've left Abe's and am currently en route to Poland, but managed to file a few away while on the farm)...

Eric shares an interesting photo out of Wisconsin, of a teenage Amish fisherman. 

The two boys Eric spoke with were out all day on a local lake.  This shot was taken while they made a pit-stop for snacks.  Since they'd be returning home late, the fish would have to wait til breakfast, they said.

Fishing is a sport with a nice practical justification--feeding the family.  Amish across America enjoy hunting as well, which often results in freezers full of venison for the colder months.       

But how do the Amish approach the more competitive, 'non-productive' sports--basketball, football and so on?  More on that in the next post.