Amish Country

This is at least the fourth time we have visited Amish Country. The first time was near Lancaster, PA, many years ago. And this is our third time in northern Indiana. We thought it was about time we learned more about these Plain People, so we visited Menno-Hof, a museum telling the Mennonite and Amish story here in Shipshewana. What a wonderful museum. We spent at least 2 1/2 hours there. The story is told in video, interactive displays and informative illustrations. First off, I was impressed with the story of the building that houses the museum.



The Shipshewana Flea Market had been bringing many non-Amish to the town and they had a lot of questions about the Amish and Mennonite people and their way of life. The locals began telling that story, first at a booth in the flea market and later in a local church. So many people wanted to learn about this life that, in 1986, Menno-Hof (meaning homestead or farmstead) was built. This one sign tells the amazing story in just a few words.



This is one of the wooden pegs that holds the framework together as it is being built. We learned that after all beams are in place, the structure is so strong the pegs could be pulled out and the building would still be solid.



But the story of the Anabaptist movement that began in Europe in the 16th century is the central theme of the museum. That history was traced through persecutions in Germany to migration to Moravia, then on to North America in the late 17th century when William Penn, an English Quaker, launched an experiment to create a peaceful society in Pennsylvania. There Christians who were persecuted in Europe could live in peace and follow their own religious beliefs. In 1783 the first German Mennonites moved to Pennsylvania.

We learned about the development of the Mennonite and Amish communities, about the conflicts and divisions within them, and about the influence they had on American society and farming. Mennonites who had fled to Russia later came to North America, settling in Manitoba south to Kansas and introduced the hard winter wheat known as "Turkey Red" that strengthened the economies of both countries.

There were displays of the instruments of torture that had been used in Europe to punish the Anabaptists who didn't want to follow the established state churches. This tool was an Anabaptist Catcher, originally called a slave catcher. It was used to seize the wanted person from a crowd of people.



We saw what the conditions were like in the wooden sailing ships that brought these people to America in the 17th century. Passengers spent all their time below deck with bunks three high and a cooking fire nearby. The journey took up to 20 weeks to complete and many, especially children, died before they reached this continent.



We saw examples of the Amish and Mennonite clothing used today.





Every time we go out on the streets of Northern Indiana, we see how these plain people are an integral part of the society here, even as they keep themselves separate from the world to varying degrees with their simple lifestyle.

Wait and See

Sight see, that is. But first, what are we waiting for? We are in northern Indiana to have some work done on our home. The first stop was Tiara RV in Elkhart. They are a dealer that sells DRV Mobile Suites and we came here so they could replace the valve on our black tank (read sewer). For the past couple of weeks, that valve has been leaking. If you understand RV plumbing, you will know what a mess that can be. If you don't understand, I'm not going to explain. Thursday we took our RV to them and they replaced the valve and the cable that opens and shuts the valve. We are happy to have that repair done.



Beginning Monday, we will spend a couple of days having repairs done at the Mobile Suites factory in Howe. Our one-year warranty will be up in October and we wanted to have these repairs done under warranty. So, we waited on Thursday while they worked on the black tank valve, we wait for the appointment on Monday, and we will wait while the factory does its work. We are parked in the Elkhart RV Campground and enjoying the sights in Amish Country.

Thursday, we visited the deli at Martin's Supermarket here in Elkhart, using their wifi to spend time on the internet. We also had lunch there. Martin's is a local chain and a great store. We love exploring new grocery stores. When we felt we had taken up enough time and space in the deli, we browsed at an RV surplus store and Menards. Wow, that is some store! A lot more than the big box hardware store we thought it was.





This part of Indiana has a large Amish population. The Amish don't have electricity or phones in their homes. They do have phone booths in places. See this one out in a field.



We saw a number of men and women traveling by bicycle. Riding in this kind of traffic doesn't appeal to me.



We visited the nearby community of Shipshewana today. There is plenty of parking, even for big dually trucks like we drive. There are also hitching rails for the horse and buggies many Amish use.



We had a great lunch at The Blue Gate Restaurant. I had Monterey chicken with baked apples and hush puppies. John had meatloaf with a baked potato and green beans. Both meals were delicious and way more than we usually eat at lunchtime.





Shipshewana is a city with lots of beautiful flower baskets and gardens in the downtown area. They provide a real feast for the eyes.











We also checked out Yoder's Meet and Cheese Market. Their products are interesting. We even bought fried pies home for dessert this weekend. I don't intend to try pickled asparagus, either plain for zesty, though.











I'll be sharing more sights from this area in the next few days. Waiting isn't bad when there is all this to explore.

Mid-west Visit

We have been in this part of the country for over a week now. We missed the fall colors in Colorado, but we are seeing the beginnings of changing leaves here. The poplar leaves are turning yellow and a few maple trees are turning red.

We lived in Wisconsin for three years in the 1980s. Since then, we forgot how dreary it can be at times. The sun shone for a few days, then yesterday it clouded up and rained most of the day. Today has been another gray day. The first year we were in Wisconsin, we went six weeks without seeing the sun. Most depressing, especially for people from Colorado where the sun shines almost every day.

During the rain yesterday, we saw some Amish buggies on the road. They have lights and turn signals for such weather and at night.!

The buggies even have license plates.

We went to Shipshewana to a laundromat. Out back, we discoveed where the Amish women parked their buggies.

In another parking lot, we saw this sign.

As we drive around the area, we can spot the Amish farms--the electric lines bypass them. Each house also has a large clothes line outside. (Click to enlarge this, or any other, photo. You can see the clothes line better.)

We had been told about an interesting produce auction, held Thursdays in the nearby town of Emma. We went looking for it and when we spotted all these buggies, we thought we had found it.

We were wrong. It was an Amish wedding! We quickly walked back to the car and returned to our RV.

The other day, I took a picture of the sun setting over South Twin Lake on the edge of our campground.