The "Traveling With The Amish" Story

A scene much like I saw today.  Usually seen when many
Amish gather for special events.  Click to enlarge photos.

It was an ordinary day.  A few weeks ago I was heading up the long and winding driveway to my friend Hal's house to pick him up for a visit with a mutual friend.  As I reached the top of the drive, Hal met me and pointed across the road from his house to the Amish farm about 100 yards away.  Sitting in the field next to the barn were about two dozen buggies all lined up in a neat row; the horses grazing in a nearby field.  An Amish wedding was to be held that day which would last from morning to late afternoon.  Just about every buggy was a carriage buggy with a few pony wagons in the mix.  

Scene which I get to see on a daily trip around Lancaster Co.

Neat picture had I brought my Nikon camera with telephoto lens, but it sat at home in my office.  And, the photograph I could have taken with my cellphone wouldn't have done the scene justice.  Today, I was driving south on SR272, taking my wife for lunch at Woody's Crab House in Northeast, Maryland for her birthday when we came upon a few Amish buggies whose children were waving to us from the rear window of their buggy as we passed.  

Getting ready to pass
 one of the buggies today.

For many of you, seeing an Amish buggy on the road in front of you might be a once in a lifetime event, but for Carol and I, it happens almost daily, since we live in Pennsylvania which has the second highest population of Amish in the United States; second only to Ohio by a few hundred.  The 68,820 Amish residents in Pennsylvania accounts for 0.54% of the state's total population.  And, Lancaster County hosts the oldest and most popular Amish settlement in the United States which was founded in 1760 and has grown to have 179 church districts and the most progressive Amish community in the world who have embraced technological advancements.  But, the automobile is not one of those advancements, since they still embrace the horse pulled buggy.  Depending upon which website you visit, you may find there are a variety of seven different types of buggies while another site tells of less than half that amount of models.  

One style of Amish buggy is the Market Wagon.

A few years ago I visited an Amish Buggy maker in Lancaster County and wrote a few stories about it.  It seems that since that time there are a few changes in the construction of a buggy.  Most of the bodies are now made of fiberglass rather than wood.  But, the models seem to be much the same as in the past.  One type of buggy has a hatchback opening in the rear which provides space for loading and unloading goods and produce.  It is known as a Market Wagon.  Another style of buggy is that used for the community visits is the Family wagon.  Instead of the hatchback opening, there is a window or series of smaller windows in the back that protects the riders, but still provides rear visibility, thus the children waving to passing motorists.  

The Family Wagon that can hold 5 or 6 riders.

These buggies usually can seat 5 or 6 riders comfort- ably, with a few more if they squeeze into the back.  Some of these have doors or windows that can be opened.  Another type of buggy is the courting buggy that is an open carriage that has a single seat for two riders, but we have seen courting buggies with three on the seat and a few riders hanging on the sides of the buggy!  

The Courting buggy has less privacy.

There is very little privacy in a Courting buggy, but it is made that way on purpose!  In Pennsyl- vania, all Amish buggies are required to have battery-operated lights and turn signals with a triangular metal sign on the rear to indicate a slow-moving vehicle.  Many have flashing lights that can be used at night to illuminate the buggy.  Another site tells of the Market Wagon, family buggy and courting buggy, but also lists a Pony Wagon which is a very small buggy pulled by a pony rather than a horse.  It also lists a Cart that has only two wheels and is much like the Courting buggy.

The Spring wagon which is much like the Courting buggy.
but can hold many more passengers.

 And, the site also lists a Spring Wagon which is much like the Courting buggy, but can hold many more riders.  Buggies are slightly different from one location in Pennsyl- vania to another location.  We travel frequently to State College to visit with friends Jere and Sue and there is a community of Amish near State College.  

Road signs such as this are common
on roads in areas where Amish live.

Their buggies have a different color paint pattern than the buggies in Lancaster County.  Amish usually use standard bred racehorses to pull their buggies and draft horses to work in the fields.  The horse and buggy usually can travel about 5 to 8 miles per hour, but since The Amish rarely travel long distances, the leisurely speed of the standard bred is not a problem.  The horses are so neat to view as we pass them on the road.  They hold their head high as if to tell us we're not better than them.  We are so used to seeing Amish buggies on our roads that it is not a novelty as it is to many tourists who visit Lancaster County.  The visitors, as well as anyone not Amish in Lancaster, are known as "Englishers" to the Amish.   But, the smiles and waves the little children give you as you pass their wagon are priceless.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Not unusual to see something like this on the back roads of Lancaster County, PA.