The "Uniquely Amish: Part I" Story

Foreword:  All my life I have lived in Lancaster County, PA.  A large majority of the land in the county is filled with farmland and is farmed by quite a few Amish farm families.  Names such as Stoltzfus, Esh, King, Fisher, Lapp, Beiler and Zook grace the sides of mailboxes throughout the county.  And for transportation, they use the horse-drawn buggy.  Often wondered where and by whom they were made, so a few weeks ago I stopped in Witmer Coach Shop which is located along Route 23 to the east of Lancaster.  Gentleman told me that no one shop completes all the parts of a buggy, but if I wanted to see one being put together I should stop at the Leola Coach Shop.  So, today's and tomorrow's stories will take you through an Amish Coach shop and give you an idea how they are made and by whom.  I really didn't know what to expect, but I'll tell you I had a great time talking with most of the employees in their part of the shop.  I was thoroughly welcomed into their shop and we talked about not only what they did, but about the life that they lead.  They too had many questions for me about my English lifestyle.  They were kind enough to allow me the thrill of the visit I took and the photos you will see published here only show the product and not the faces of those who make them.  Their religion does not care to have their photo taken and I followed their wishes.  

Small sign along Creek Hill Road announces that the Leola
Coach Shop.  In the background you can see the field still
covered with this year's corn crop.

It was an ordinary day.  Traveling east along Rt. 23 trying to find my destination for today's story.   Road repairs caused a traffic stop and an older gentleman on a bicycle pulled next to me.  Opened the passenger side window and asked him if he knew how much farther it was to Newport Road.  Pointed ahead of us and said, "Second traffic light."  Thanked him and within a few minutes I was traveling north on Newport Road.  After another right-hand turn onto Creek Hill Road I saw the sign in the front yard of a home that had wash strung on a line from the house to the barn.  

Sitting in front of the shop was this "Courting
Buggy" which is usually used by younger Amish.
It has a leather cover over the seat.

The Leola Coach Shop wasn't what I had expected it to be.  Not quite sure what I thought it may look like, but a series of small two-story barns at the rear of the white house was what I found.  Parked on a patch of stones and headed to the only door that was open.  As I walked into the shop I was greeted by four or five Amish men, all working with hand-sanding machines that were powered by compressed air.  Youngest one asked if he could help me and I told him I was looking for Paul.  He pointed to Paul and I walked over to greet him.  Paul looked to be maybe 10 years younger than me with a beard that was close to a foot in length and starting to gray.  I introduced myself and asked if he remembered that we had spoken a week or so ago.  

This photo will show you the frame that holds
the coach.  It has leaf springs and is made of
much the same materials as the coach.  I believe
that the shop does more repairs to older coaches
than building new buggies.

After some explanation as to what they do in his shop, he told me to look around and talk to any of the workers who would gladly tell me about what part of the coach building they perform.  I saw one young man sanding by himself at the far end of the small building and walked over to watch him.  I introduced myself and he told me his name was Joe. He was working on wheels for a buggy that sat closeby.  He explained that the shop uses a variety of tools, including some electric tools.  The electricity comes from a large generator on the premises which also is used to run the air compressor that powers some of the tools.  Electricity is needed for many of the operations in this shop, but is not obtained by a power line from the street.  They produce all their own power with the generator which is run with diesel fuel.  

This closeup of the right window of a buggy shows two
small holes where the reins go through to the driver.

They also have solar panels on the roof to produce more needed power.  The wheel he was sanding was going to be painted for the buggy.  The wheels are made of either fiberglass, aluminum, steel or wood.  The wooden wheels are usually made from woods such as hickory, ash or mahogany which allow for using steam for bending them.  The spokes are joined to the outer wheel with a mortise and tenon joint for strength.  I noticed that the wheel he was working on had what appeared to be the outer housing of a brake drum.  

This is looking down on to a wheel.  The cream-colored
piece is the brake drum that is metal and will hold the
brake shoes much like on an automobile.

Many buggies do indeed have brakes which can help stop the buggy if needed.  He explained to me that the horse is connected to the buggy with straps with come around the front for pulling and one around the rear of the horse for stopping.  The brakes assist the horse in stopping.  The brakes are controlled with a foot pedal on the right side of the buggy where the driver sits.  

This is another buggy in for repairs.  It is shaped differently
since it comes from another state.

The reins come into the buggy directly under the windshield on the right side.  Joe also showed me around the paint booth where there is a ventilation panel on the floor.  We talked about where I would post my story and he told me that many Amish have access to phones or computers.  I noticed that he never stopped working as we talked and his skill at what he did was evident in the product I was viewing.  Gave him my website address and he gave me directions to the second floor where I could see the upholstery part of the operation.  Tomorrow's story will show you the final steps in the making of an Amish buggy.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.