Ohio Amish Country

There are very few Amish people in Oregon, if any.  Yet, in Ohio and Pennsylvania, there are over 75,000 Amish people in each!  Understanding the Amish culture was something we were all interested in and wanted to learn more about. While in South Dakota the kids had spotted an Amish family at Wall Drug and later asked us if they were dressed up in "character" for some sort of play or show.  We took this as a sign that we all needed a bit of education on this unique culture in America.

While passing through Ohio, we made an effort to head a bit south into Central Ohio to explore the Holmes County area, where the largest Ohio Amish populations live.  We were fortunate enough to spend the night on the Yoder Amish Family Farm outside of Walnut Creek.  It's a working farm and dates back to late 1885.  Eli and Gloria Yoder purchased the farm in 1972 with the hopes of sharing the Amish culture and people with visitors.  

Everything the Amish do is to maintain a separate way of life.  Their history dates back to 1693 when they split away from the Mennonites.  From that time forward, the Amish people have their roles in the church and community dictated to them by the Ordnung, which is a set of unwritten rules that are based in Scripture.  The Ordnung specifies details such as what clothes individuals can wear, the use of modern technology, the education of children and what they can use as transportation.  During our time in Amish country, we saw people travelling mostly by bike, electric bike, buggies, cars and walking. 

The icon of Amish culture is most certainly the black buggy.  Most are pulled by one, well trained horse and they travel along the side of the road, sometimes carrying a whole family.  Even young boys can be seen travelling by themselves in buggies down the road.  From our campsite at the Yoder Farm, we could hear the clip, clop, clip, clop of the horses' hooves as the buggies trotted down the road just above the farm.

We all enjoyed our buggy ride around the farm and were surprised at how smooth and fast the buggies move, despite their narrow tires.  During our time at the Yoder Farm, we also got to watch the men make fresh apple butter in a large copper kettle over an outdoor fire, tour an Amish school, watch them bake fresh bread and cookies in an electric free kitchen, and visit some of barnyard animals.

Interestingly, Amish children only go to school through 8th grade and are all taught in the one-room schoolhouse format, where kids of all ages are taught in one room by one teacher.  The kids would come up to the front of the room to get their lesson and some instruction and then go back to their desks to finish their work.  Rather than breaking the kids out by grade, kids in grades 1-4 might be grouped together and the others from grades 4-8 might be in another group.  

Our time in Amish country was well worth the visit and provided us a brief glimpse into their unique and interesting culture.  I think there are many things we can take away and learn from.  The way they value a simple life, their faith, the value of family and community, their work ethic, and their respect for others.  I look at our world today and think they may have it all figured out.