Amish Life: Shipshewana

Shipshewana is the best-known town in the large Amish settlement in LaGrange & Elkhart Counties in northern Indiana. Enjoy these scenes of Amish life and learn a little bit about the Amish here.
Photos taken in Shipshewana area and the surrounding community.
My name is Erik Wesner and I'm not Amish. Back in 2004, I met the Amish while selling books. Since then, I've visited 5,000+ Amish homes & dozens of Amish communities. I run the Amish America website. More: amishamerica.com/
Images: All images by Don Burke (www.flickr.com...)

[@jimhays4711]

One of the most powerful misconceptions that I've found about the Amish is that it is a life of poverty. Nothing could be further from the truth. However, there does seem to me to be a difference in the level of enthusiasm for money from one community to another. Successful Amish businesses seem to me to have several fundamental aspects: hard work, quality product, reasonable price. Of these, quality product seems to be the primary marketing strategy. The Elkhart and LaGrange counties community is certainly one of those I've seen where being financially successful is not frowned upon.

[@droolbunnyxo9565]

If you do business with the Amish, honesty, fairness & keeping your word about things within your control will offer you friendship for life. Many of the Amish customers I gained, simply, because other "English" business people & coworkers took advantage of them. Interestingly, the Amish rarely confront those who cheat them - they're very calm & polite as they hang up the phone on the greedy for the very last time ;) (And often a pay phone or community phone booth, next to a field or side of the road. Quick return calls were a must too, to keep Amish customers.)

[@michellealvermann1377]

Amish in my town are wealthy

[@kathyreese4052]

When I lived in Michigan we used to go to the market there and it was always fun and interesting. Some really nice quality things

[@farmcentralohio]

Perfect Friday night treat, I'm relaxed now :) Thanks

[@AmishAmerica]

🙂🙂🙂

[@Kathleensailorgirl]

Beautiful photos, thanks for sharing 🙏😊

[@brandidouglas5340]

I also love learning more about the Amish too love your videos💓💓

[@arlitabeard7693]

Thanks for sharing I enjoy learning about the amish

[@geoffreystephens6778]

I’ve been there and enjoyed every minute of it! I got a kick out of the horse and buggies with a state tag on the back of them! I think I remember headlights on the front of the buggies for nighttime travel !!

[@oceanlover1663]

Lol. I was a little boy when I found out so I ask my aunt about it and she said, the government thinks horses are hard on the road. That was like 35 years ago!

[@vernumrichardwildermuth4842]

To the best of my knowledge Indiana is the only state where the Amish live that require the buggies to be licensed. I am not sure the cost but I believe it is around fifty dollars and I believe that there is a reduction if you have more than one buggy .

[@vallis1469]

Shipshewana is one of my favorite places! Though we live in Ohio, their prayer caps are the ones I love the most and purchase for myself. Thank you for sharing a glimpse into heaven.

[@AmishAmerica]

Gladly! I've enjoyed making these music/image videos, it's an uplifting production process :)

[@mq5276]

Just wondering, are you plain? Why would you want a covering (prayer cap)?

[@vallis1469]

@@mq5276 We are Conservative Quakers. It's our heritage to be "plain".

[@susiecox8413]

Hi Erik, I enjoy all of your videos so thanks for sharing. I live in west central Indiana and love going to Shipshewana, my hubby and I make it a night road trip and enjoy a concert as well. Also, as you know Indiana has Amish in Parke County, Indiana which is less than 20 miles from me. We enjoy driving through the country and seeing the Amish in the fields and yards working or on the road in their buggies. Beautiful gardens and produce/fruit stands too. Two of my favorites was seeing small boys fishing from a little bridge by the road and an Amish man with a team of 4 horses pulling a load of hay.

[@AmishAmerica]

Neat thanks Susie! Really nice you are so close to Parke County, Don Burke took some good photos of that area that I'll use in the Indiana video (when I finally get to it :D ). I was there quite some time ago but just briefly. Covered bridges

[@susiecox8413]

@@AmishAmerica yes many covered bridges and a big festival every October. I look forward to seeing many more videos from you! I don't know Don personally but love his photos! I joined a group on fb called Anything Amish and it has amazing pics and stories! Also, we had King Builders from Rockville, Indiana put metal roofs on our house and garage. They did an excellent job. Their work ethic is like no other. Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

[@CoriDahmen]

@@susiecox8413 I would love to hear about the festival in October, as I try to visit in the fall. What is the name of the festival and the location?

[@susiecox8413]

@@CoriDahmen It is called the Covered Bridge Festival and runs for 10 days starting the first Friday in October. It has 3 primary locations, Rockville, Mansfield and Bridgeton. If you plan to stay overnight you have to book way in advance! You can find more info on facebook under covered bridge festival. I hope this helps!

[@debbimeyersbrant5752]

I love the different colors of the clothing

[@sfdint]

I grew up going to school in "Ship", as the locals often call it. I still encounter some of my old classmates when I go back to visit. When I was a kid in the 50s and early 60s Amish kids still went to public schools. Now they all have their own schools.

[@BRPFan]

In a Amish buggy you always see the Lady on the LH closest to traffic, do you know why? For me it would be the other way around. Thanks for your videos,I really enjoy them! God Bless You 🙏🙏

[@oceanlover1663]

That area is where my aunt and her family live. They are Beachy Amish. The Amish teens in that area are wild during their run around years. Its pretty bad. One of the RV mfg is owned by a Beachy Amish. My cousin works at one of them and he hauls Amish to work as well.

[@CoriDahmen]

Beautiful photos, but interesting that four of the best and most unique things about this community were not shown. No mention of the Plain Community youth center, the Pumpkinvine Trail, the weekly flea market (seasonal) and auction (year round) or Howie’s. Those are among the reasons I most love to visit Shipshewana.

[@AmishAmerica]

Some nice places there, would fit well in a longer video - I might include some of this when I do the bigger "Indiana Amish" state guide video👍

[@CoriDahmen]

@@AmishAmerica on my last visit to Howie’s I learned that the owner had just purchased a restaurant in Shipshe. I’m looking forward to my next visit to get more information and enjoy those pretzels year round.

[@jerriscollins-ruth9019]

Very nicely done

[@rondias6625]

Wonderful beautiful scenery..the Amish here don't mind if you take a picture of the farms, buggies, property, equipment,etc..but they ask you don't take pictures of the children and if you take a picture of the adults not from the front only the back or side..no faces..I'm not really sure how many Amish live here in the Atlantic and Fredonia settlements in western Pa where I live but I'm going to to handmade Amish furniture store tomorrow and will ask for my own curiosity sakes..there have been alot of Amish moving into our area over the last several years from Michigan.. there have always been alot of Mennonites here as well..an interesting thing about my Mennonite friends..if their name is Daniel or Matthew etc etc..they don't like being called "Dan" or "Matt" like we English shorten up names .. but my friend Benjamin Byler has a small engine repair shop and he goes by "Ben"..maybe you can enlighten me on why..or maybe it's just a thing with different settlements like buttons or pins or snaps on clothes ?

[@AmishAmerica]

Interesting, I'm not really sure about that one - might just be personal preference? Amish in other places I know certainly shorten their names and use the more casual forms, as well as nicknames. I don't know Mennonites as well as I do Amish so it might even be more about the community

[@jerryvincent8402]

As a young man I spent time in the North Adams MI area which at that time was a highly populated With Amish.🇺🇸🐻

[@kimfleury]

Beautiful images and calming music 🎵🎶

[@brandonstoltzfus3652]

Thank you

[@submarineradioman5535]

Beautiful…

[@yeahnothx-e9l]

Are Amish here New Order Amish? A lot of the buggy pictures show slider doors and possibly rubber on the tires.

[@larrylewis3573]

Dear Erik, I am enjoying your videos very much. You are trying different formats and different subjects. This one, employing the fine photographs by Dan Burke interspersed with your interpretive captions, works very well. It was a joy to watch. I like this format very much. Sincerely, Larry Clarence Lewis, Ontario, Canada.

[@AmishAmerica]

Thank you Larry! Yes I enjoy making these too as a change of pace so to speak. Helps to have access to such great photos

[@Divine81Empress]

Beautiful ♾💚🤲🏾🌿

[@veulmet]

Amish seem to like their bikes in Indiana, both northern and southern. Do many use them else where?

[@kathyreese4052]

They ride them out here in Colorado, in all three of the communities in our area.

[@AmishAmerica]

They are popular in other places like Holmes County OH and Arthur, IL. But some communities stick to scooters or mostly scooters (Lancaster County for example). I have a video here somewhere going into the bikes vs. scooters topic if of interest. E-bikes have gotten really popular in Holmes County but they're a bit controversial let's say

[@AmishAmerica]

I'll be visiting Amish communities in Colorado next month! Looking forward, will be my first time in the state

[@michaelmiller9300]

I come from shipshewana I'm amish

[@SarahBalvanz]

I'm planning a visit there in the next couple months. I'm looking forward to it.

[@melodyrae5076]

My hometown

[@asamanyworlds3772]

I never been but I heard of it

[@oldfarmshow]

👍

[@juanitadudley4788]

The Amish Potato is from this area.

[@jankitteringham8483]

😊🇬🇧