The Amish Village

I first came across the word, Amish, in one of the volumes of Nancy Drew mystery stories series some 20-25 years ago. At that time, I knew nothing about the Amish and who they are. As I became older I read about them on the Internet at various times; I even watched several episodes of a reality TV show called “Breaking Amish” a couple of years ago. In short, the Amish and their lifestyle had intrigued me and I always wanted to see first-hand what the life of these simple people is like. I finally made it last Saturday - we visited The Amish Village in Lancaster county of Pennsylvania. In the Amish Village, one gets to see an authentic Amish farmhouse, a barn with animals, an Amish schoolhouse, Amish buggy, plow, etc. Pennsylvania is the first and oldest Amish settlement in the U.S. It was a fun+educational trip.

Mr. Ed, the horse, in The Amish Village barn. He was so friendly!

The Amish Village.

Buggies and automobiles share narrow country roads.

I am patting a donkey. They are nice and friendly animals. The coat was soft and smooth.

Clothes drying under the sun. Reminded me of my life in Bangladesh.

Boys' bedroom

An Amish crib

Girls' bedroom

Wood cook stove. Although some homes still use wood stoves, gas stoves are more common today.

An Amish stroller. So cute!

An Amish dress and a quilting frame. Married women wear white kapps (caps) and unmarried women black. Amish women's dresses and aprons do not have buttons and are kept in place using short, sharp, straight pins. Amish quilts are famous and a queen-size Amish quilt can easily run up to $700.

The Amish do not use electricity at home or in their farm. They use alternative power sources like gas, kerosene, compressed air, windmills, solar panels, etc to power their appliance. Here is a gas-powered washing machine from the 1950s. We also saw a propane gas-powered lamp and refrigerator, and a compressed air-powered blender!

The Amish keep peacocks at home because they give out loud cries when they sense danger nearby. So, they are kind of like dogs, but much cheaper and easier to maintain!

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