Amish Paradise in PA

[photoLith]

So this year I visited three different communities of Amish in Western PA, still have yet to visit the Amish in Lancaster. Anyways, this thread will highlight Amish architecture and farms/people in Mifflin County, the New Wilmington Amish and Smicksburg Amish. 27 states in America and Ontario have Amish people. There are roughly 250,000 Amish in North America of which their numbers are increasing rapidly. Each family has about 5-7 kids and 90 percent of those kids stay in the Amish Church.


The areas I have outlined in blue are the Amish communities Ive photographed here. Starting on the left is New Wilmington, then in the middle is Smicksburg, and in the middle of the state is the Mifflin County Amish.

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Smicksburg area Amish in Indiana County, PA

The Smicksburg settlement is the third largest in Pennsylvania, and the eleventh largest in the U.S. The Smicksburg settlement has 18 church districts and was founded in 1962. Amish here drive Midwestern-style black buggies.

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New Wilmington area Amish of Lawrence and Mercer County, PA

The Amish in northern Lawrence County and southern Mercer County make up one of the largest Old Order Amish settlements in America and have a population of around 2,450. Around New Wilmington and Volant, the Amish settled in the 1840's and many more waves came to settle in the area up until the past decade. The Amish who settled there originally came from Mifflin County. Amish in New Wilmington demonstrate strong identification with some of the more conservative groups in Mifflin County in matters of dress and buggy style. Buggy tops are uniformly burnt orange in color and brown/blue is the dominant color in apparel.

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Mifflin County Amish

Many of the buggies in this county are white which means the family who owns it is Nebraska Amish. This group is part of the most conservative sect of Amish. The Nebraska Amish are one of the few Amish groups that do not allow women to wear bonnets. Most Amish still use horse driven plows to till their fields and don't allow electricity or phones in their houses. There are two other main Amish groups in Big Valley (Mifflin County). Those are the Peachy Amish and Byler Amish; the Byler Amish have yellow carriages and the Peachy have black ones.

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Cold and lonely. Love this one especially... that's a classic central PA landscape if I've ever seen it.

[maru2501]

I've churned butter once or twice... livin' in an....

[photoLith]

• Video Link

[Capsule F]

Amazing amazing set

[photoLith]

Thanks man

[FREKI]

Sad and spooky with cults like that - but very interesting photos!

Thanks for sharing mate!

[photoLith]

I wouldn't consider the Amish a cult really. Cults are usually centered around a single person, I mean I would consider all religions as cults but technically they are a religious group and not a cult. And most Amish I've talked to seem pretty happy.

[giallo]

Great set. And yeah, this shot is so cool.

[Nightsky]

Great pictures of this rare culture! The only amish people I ever have seen in reality was, ironically, in Sears Tower in Chicago!

[photoLith]

^
That would have been interesting to witness.

[Austinlee]

Kickin' it old skool. Anabaptist style.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Great pics, interesting stuff!

Here around KC there are some Mennonite colonies (mostly in Kansas, a colony north of Wichita being the largest I believe). Unlike the Amish they don't shun technology, and will frequently come into the city to do various things. I've gone into a Starbucks and (in particular) the Scheels in Overland Park and seen these people dressed like 19th Century rural folk, but carrying their cell phones and ordering a latte or whatever. Sometimes I've noticed the women looking a bit self-conscious, like they felt weird with all the people looking at them.

I wonder if the people Nightsky saw in Chicago were really Mennonites?

[xzmattzx]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

Great pics, interesting stuff!

Here around KC there are some Mennonite colonies (mostly in Kansas, a colony north of Wichita being the largest I believe). Unlike the Amish they don't shun technology, and will frequently come into the city to do various things. I've gone into a Starbucks and (in particular) the Scheels in Overland Park and seen these people dressed like 19th Century rural folk, but carrying their cell phones and ordering a latte or whatever. Sometimes I've noticed the women looking a bit self-conscious, like they felt weird with all the people looking at them.

I wonder if the people Nightsky saw in Chicago were really Mennonites?

There are different types of Mennonites. I've seen Mennonites at Phillies games before countless times. Some sects accept technology, and some do not.

[James Bond Agent 007]

^
Yeah that's true. Some are fairly "liberal" while some are not. I presume the ones I've seen in KC at Starbucks and elsewhere are fairly liberal ones.

[mrnyc]

while i think you handled this respectfully, you have to be very careful with photography around the amish, they do not like it as it goes against their religion.

years ago, i had a gf in columbus who was from germany. her father came to visit and he could not wait to rent a car and visit the nearby amish country. when he came back he was just shaking his head and fascinated. that they speak german from the 1800s and that he could not understand some of it. he really enjoyed it though, its a well known culture in germany.

in nyc we jokingly call the jewish hasids the urban amish. its basically the same thing.

i do see amish folks around nyc once in awhile. i wonder what brings them here, looks to be like a little business and a little seeing the sights like anyone else i suppose. it would be interesting if they met up with their urban cousins, the hasids. to be a fly on the wall for that ha.

[photoLith]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

There are different types of Mennonites. I've seen Mennonites at Phillies games before countless times. Some sects accept technology, and some do not.

Yup, a lot of Mennonites ride around in horse and buggies still, the old Order Mennonites, who often live around the Amish.

[Evergrey]

Yet another reason why Pennsylvania rules.

Very atmospheric photos... especially love the one with the three girls walking through the snow.

[Murphy de la Sucre]

Those people represent most intelligent human beings.