The "So Who Are These People That Ride In Buggies? - Part V" Story

Professor Donald Kraybill, Amish expert.

It was an ordinary day.  Reading one of many articles written by Donald Kraybill, an expert on Lancaster County Amish and their traditions and lifestyles.  Mr. Kraybill is a distinguished college professor and Senior fellow at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College in nearby Eliabethtown, Pennsylvania.  Before that he was Provost of Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.  Mr. Kraybill is the author or editor of more than 18 books and dozens of professional articles, one of which I am reading right now. 

Bucolic scene from Lancaster's Amish farmland.

I have lived my entire life living amongst the Old Order Amish and Mennonites, but find I still learn daily about them and their practices.  Mr. Kraybill's books and articles have been a tremendous help in writing the stories I just shared with you.  Today will end my series which I hope you read and had a chance to see what I get to see on a daily basis.  

Amish man filing up a gas can at a local convenience store.

The Amish in Lancaster County are actually a progressive community being that most have indoor plumbing and bathrooms.  Local Amish dairy farms use automatic milking machines that are powered by generators run by gasoline or deisel fuel.  A recent story in our local paper told of the use of solar panels on the roofs of Amish farms to supply power to needed farming equipment.  

Local shopping areas have spaces for Amish buggies.

The Lancaster Amish do not drive cars, but do hire drivers to transport them unlike other Amish commun- ities that totally shun cars.  My wife's cousin has a large van and spends quite a few days a week transporting Amish to medical appointments as well as shopping.  Mr. Kraybill says the Amish in Lancaster County are changing all the time.  They are more willing to use cellphones, but still have many rules about their use.  

Wash day shows the colors of Amish clothes.

When I visited an Amish buggy maker a few years ago they were amazed when I pulled out paper and pen to take notes instead of typing on my phone as they do.  If you were a fan of the TV show "Amish Mafia", you didn't see the same Lancaster that we see on a daily basis.  Retaliation and revenge are not part of Amish life as depicted in the show.  A few other things the Lancaster Amish community do is celebrate two Christmases and two Easters.  

This young Amish woman gets in
line in traffic for a left-hand turn.

The first day of each holiday is only a religious observance while the second day is for social interaction with friends and neighbors.  The original Amish community that arrived from Europe in the 18th Century no longer exists.  The last families from that community dissolved in 1936.  According to Kraybill there are 40 Amish tribes in 31 states with the Lancaster delegation the largest in the country.  The first Pennsylvania Amish settlements were to the north of Lancaster in Berks County with a settlement of Amish in Manheim Township where I live, which was eventually forced out by surburban expansion.  I personally know very few Amish, but those I do know are very caring, helpful and loving people.  The type of person you'd want to be your neighbor.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.