Pennsylvania Amish CountryPennsylvania Amish CountryCertainly, curiosity related to the Amish community attracts many visitors. Thoughts of a simpler time and place abound as we are witness to homes without electricity, and transportation limited to the horse and buggy. Immaculate farms and the simple dress habits of the Amish are fascinating to every visitor.
Every history teacher should visit the Amish country if possible.
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 An Absolute Must for Your Visit.
The Amish Experience will give you the most complete imersion into the Amish life that you can get on your visit. Replete with a theater presentation and film made by real Old Order Amish and a tour through the rooms of an Amish house make you a real expert on the lifestyle, religious practices, and daily activities of the Amish. Do this!
P.O. Box 414
3121 Old Philadelphia Pike, Route 340
Bird-in-Hand, PA 17505-0414
Phone: (717) 768-3600, Ext. 210
Fax:: (717) 768-7864
Email: padutch@amishexperience.com
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An Outstanding DVD!
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 This is one of the best videos we found about the Amish in Pennsylvania. An original PBS documentary, it was
excerpted on "Sixty Minutes" and is full of gentle respect for the Amish and does an excellent job of revealing their lifestyle and developing an understanding of the philosophy under which the Amish live.
The Amish continue to intrigue their technology-current neighbors by keeping alive ways and beliefs that many modern Americans regard as irretrievably lost to progress. In this colorful, award-winning documentary, newly revised and augmented, Mennonite historian John L. Ruth takes us sympathetically into the Amish mindset.
Appreciative neighbors, a well-known physician, an artist, and respected scholar John A. Hostetler, author of Amish Society, provide insightful commentary on the survival of an alternative to the kind of world we have made. As the Amish increase exponentially in numbers, some migrate toward more open farmland. Those staying in centuries-old communities where the land is too crowded to farm have developed an amazing variety of cottage industries. But all changes are made very carefully, in order not to undermine the spiritual covenant and community.
DVD Available From:
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DVD About Amish in Ohio
 This documentary takes you on an intimate journey into Ohio Amish life and culture. You will discover how rapid growth and economic pressures threaten their community. You will also meet a people who, as a result of creative disengagement with the culture around them, thrive.
DVD Available From:
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 The Kling House Restaurant
2008 Kitchen Kettle Village, Route 340, P.O. Box 380
Intercourse, PA 17534
1-800-732-3538
Breakfast is served 8 am - 11 am, Mon.-Sat.
Lunch between 11 am and 3 pm, Mon.-Thurs. and until 4pm Fri. and Sat.
Outdoor dining on the Terrace, 11 am-3 pm, Mon.-Thurs. and until 4pm on Fri. and Sat.,
Memorial Day through Labor Day (weather permitting).
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 Teaches Lessons of the Heart and Mind
Children can enjoy the Village and all of its splendors while
learning at Kitchen Kettle Village. There are two tours conducted for children of different
age groups. The Five Senses Gingerbread Tour is for children pre-school through second
grade and runs January through the first week in March each year. The Reading &
Math Tour is for children grades three through five and runs twice a day from mid-
February to the third week of March. Each tour takes students through our Village
where little surprises can be found. Each tour has its own special features:
Our village is filled with deilghts to tickle the senses. The Five Senses Gingerbread Tour
highlights:
SIGHT Includes seeing a life-sized black bear, discussing the animals and birds indiginous to South-Central
Pennsylvania, listening and identifying calls of various birds, and taking an imaginary ?trip to the
mountains? while watching (and listening to) our real waterfall.
TOUCH Includes touching different types and pieces of animal skins and leather, such as suede, rawhide
and calf leather, and discussing the different uses for leather hides.
HEARING Includes listening to authentic music boxes, our player piano and our own, live talking bird!
TASTE Includes tasting a ?mystery? jam/jelly to identify the flavor.
SMELL Includes smelling freshly-baked cookies, then decorating and eating them as well as smelling anddrinking hot cocoa.
*Tour also includes a storytime (in Kettle Cafe) with Yummie, our village mascot, and an optional stop (time permitting) at Yummie?s Toy Box
Your students will learn why Reading, Math, Science Technology and Business are so
important as they explore a variety of careers with real hands-on experience and decision-
making activities. The Reading and Math Tour highlights:
MATH Includes Cash and Spending Budget Activity with play money, mental calculations and cash
registers, and designing a quilt with Geometry.
SCIENCE Discover the ?science of the kitchen? with examples of a PH Scale, Physical Changes, Vacuum Seal, Refractometer, and measuring soluables.
BUSINESS Students will learn what is involved with opening a store.
READING & LANGUAGE Students will take turns reading aloud.
ART Students will design a quilt and decorate their own gingerbread cookie.
HISTORY Students will hear about the evolution of our canning and manufacturing process and the history of canning in Lancaster County.
Kitchen Kettle Village is located on Rt. 340 in the Village of Intercourse, 10 miles east of
Lancaster (PA). For more information contact Lisa Arrell at (800) 732-3538 * (717) 768-8261 * or
log onto www.kitchenkettle.com.
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Video Buggy Rides Courtesy of
 3121a Old Phildadelphia Pike | Bird-in-Hand, PA 17505
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The various Amish or Amish Mennonite church fellowships are Christian religious denominations that form a very traditional subgrouping of Mennonite churches. They are best known for their simple living, plain dress and resistance to the adoption of many modern conveniences.
The history of the Amish church began with a schism in Switzerland within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists in 1693. The leader of the schismatic faction was an Anabaptist leader named Jakob Ammann. Those who followed Ammann became known as Amish.
In the early 18th century, many Amish Mennonites emigrated to Pennsylvania for a variety of reasons. Today, the most traditional descendants of these Amish Mennonites continue to speak Pennsylvania German (more often referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch). There are also Old Order Amish communities, especially in the US state of Indiana, where a dialect of Swiss German predominates. Over the years, there have been numerous divisions among the Amish churches. The 'Old Order' Amish, an ultra-conservative faction that withdrew from fellowship with the wider body of Amish Mennonites in the 1860s, are those that have most emphasized traditional practices and beliefs. As of 2000, over 165,000 Old Order Amish live in Canada and the United States. A new study, produced in 2008, suggests their numbers have increased to 227,000.
Amish church membership begins with baptism, usually between the ages of 16 and 25. It is a requirement for marriage, and once a person has affiliated with the church, she or he must marry within the faith. Church districts average between 20 to 40 families, and worship services are held every other Sunday in a member's home. The district is led by a bishop and several ministers and deacons.
The rules of the church — the Ordnung — must be observed by every member. These rules cover most aspects of day-to-day living, and include prohibitions or limitations on the use of power-line electricity, telephones, and automobiles, as well as regulations on clothing. Many Amish church members may not buy insurance or accept government assistance, such as Social Security.
As Anabaptists, Amish church members practice nonresistance and will not perform any type of military service. Members who do not conform to these expectations and who cannot be convinced to repent, are excommunicated. In addition to excommunication, members may be shunned — a practice that limits social contacts to shame the wayward member into returning to the church. During adolescence (called rumspringa or "running around" in some communities), nonconforming behavior that would result in the shunning of an adult who had made the permanent commitment of baptism may meet with a certain degree of forbearance.
It could be said that, to an extent, many Amish church groups seek to maintain a degree of separation from the non-Amish world. There is generally a heavy emphasis on church and family relationships. They typically operate their own one-room schools, and discontinue formal education at grade eight. They value a rural life, where a large family provides an abundance of manual labor. Due to intermarriage among this relatively small population, higher incidences of certain inheritable diseases have been known to occur in some groups.
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Good Lodging on Your Visit to Amish Country
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Harvest Drive Family Inn
Phone: 717-768-7186 Toll free:1-800-233-0176
Fax number: 717-768-4513
3370, Harvest Drive Road,
Intercourse PA- 17534
E-mail: harvestdrive@gmail.com
Right in the middle of Amish Farms!
Sit on the porch and watch Amish pass by in their buggies or take their evening walks.
Great atmosphere.
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