Aaaah, Amish Country. Simple, austere, and plain. Beginning with breakfast, which was not very fancy--bagels and donuts. But we were satisfied, and trundled off down country roads to see the Amish. They are actually three intermingled denominations of anabaptists (only adults get baptised), with 27,000 in Lancaster County.
The denominations are Amish, Mennonites, and The Brethren. The Amish and Mennonites split over the issue of shunning, a corporate method of punishment for wrongdoing.
The anabaptists were quite persecuted, and the Amish have this Martyrs Mirror book that recounts the various tortures and killings that were dished out to anabaptists from early church times. There are over 4000 accounts of burnings at the stake, for instance.
The Amish use the verse in Revelations 18:4 to justify foregoing the use of electricity, as a way to separate themselves from society. They go to a lot of work to replace it, though, as you can see by the white gas-powered iron in this picture. I guess there are some problems with fire, but they deal with it.
This one was intriguing. An air-driven kitchen aid. Sunbeam makes it for the Amish. Compressed air is called "Amish Electricity" in the region. They use diesel-powered generators to make the compressed air. The generators cycle on and off as needed.
Houses can have lamps, but they are lit by propane. Occasionally, they have to load the tank(s) into the buggy and go fill them up again.
Sherry loved this Ocean Wave Quilt.
This gasoline-powered wringer-washer was not so enchanting to her.
They have a lot of animals around, especially horses. We took a picture of these pygmy goats for Kiera and Andy, friends in Oregon. They wanted to eat my tour flyer.
Open buggies are the only kind that can be used for courting. Everything about what they wear, church attendance, and how courting happens is very prescribed. Worse, every Amish community establishes its own rules--the bishops don't get together and agree on how things are done. For example, not all Amish communities practice Rumspringa (where the young people go out to "experience" the world prior to returning for life to the community). Also, most Amish only have an eighth grade education and work in farming or in the trades.
Contrary to popular belief, the Amish are quite wealthy and do pay more than their share of taxes, while providing their own schooling. In Lancaster, there are no Amish in jail. Of course, they might get excommunicated if they are rebellious, before they get to jail.
Sherry took Forrest's picture in this schoolhouse. The sign reads, "No matter if you're quicker or slower than the rest, the main thing is to do your very best."
There are no professional teachers among the Amish, because teachers start after 8th grade, and must stop teaching when they get married.
Ian and Forrest had a checkers rematch. Our first was at Cracker Barrel outside of Nashville.
We decided to go check out the toy train museum, and encountered a lot of train stuff on the backroads of Amish country, including this real train museum .
We also passed this Motel, where the rooms are train cabooses. Ian wanted this picture.
When we got to the Toy Train Museum, we found out the tour was $15 for a family, and took about an hour. We hadn't really planned on that, and had a lengthy parley over issues like time, money and laundry before everyone agreed to go in. Ian owes Dad big time. But in the end, we all enjoyed it and were glad we went.
The museum contains some advertising gimmicks as well, including this Marklin "Wonderwheel," which is turned by the HO train running along its track, like a gerbil turns a wheel.
Ian was excited, and called Grandpa Parker, to share the excitement with him or make him jealous, or both. Dedicated in 1976, this bulding resembles a Victorian-era train station and consists of 13,000 square feet of space, filled with toy trains.
Ian could have spent more time there, but we reminded him he is also due to visit the museum in San Diego with Grandma Cooper in August.
After we left the train museum, we caught this steam locomotive hauling a tourist train through Amish country.
We had to stop for this Amish buggy, which decided not to jump in front of the on-coming semi, so ended up in our lane. I guess they have crazy drivers, too!
This picture is for our friends David and Marta. Just think how much fun it would be to bail your hay with a three-horse-drawn hay bailer! At least there is a ready supply of fuel, but don't step in the exhaust!
We traveled down the road to Valley Forge, outside Philadelphia. At this point, we had traveled all of 45 miles today.
This wasn't our highest priority, but it is significant in history, so we spent about an hour there.
We visited the George Washington Memorial Chapel. Washington is thought to have been one of the first people to offer prayers to God from the Book of Common Prayer (Episcopalian) in this site. This stained glass image in the ceiling of the narthex shows Washington kneeling and praying.
This is copy of Washington's Prayer for the United States of America. Here is the text:
Almighty God;
We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection;
that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to
cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to
government;
that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to
cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to
government;
and entertain a brotherly affection and love
for one another and for their fellow citizens of
the United States at large.
for one another and for their fellow citizens of
the United States at large.
And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased
to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean
ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper
of mind which were the characteristics of the
Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a
humble imitation of whose example in these things
we can never hope to be a happy nation.
Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean
ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper
of mind which were the characteristics of the
Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a
humble imitation of whose example in these things
we can never hope to be a happy nation.
Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Forrest wanted a picture of this gigantic vine , as big around as his leg, that has engulfed this ancient maple tree.
These cabins represent the cabins the Continental Army built during the winter of 1777. They slept at least 6 to a cabin, and of the 12,000 who started the winter, 6,000 were still there in March. Still, Washington managed to scrape up 20,000 and train and discipline them well enough to push back the British in several battles that year, including Saratoga (although we lost several key battles before that conflict, including Germantown, which cost us Philadelphia).
This particular cabin housed part of Washington's personal bodyguard. Originally, only Virginia landholders could be his guard, since all other states were suspect, and often at each other's throats. It's a wonder we ever became a country, and must have been terribly embarrassing to British that they could not defeat us.
This is the farmhouse Washington rented at Valley Forge for his own quarters. I guess it pays to be the commander!
Forrest has become very interested in Washington, and plans to read a biography. The man has been everywhere we have been on this East Coast portion of our journey, and lived a varied life that is a significant part of our history. There is much we didn't learn in school about him.
On that note, here is an interesting fact to close out this blog entry:
The profession of surveyor is shared by at least four great men that I know of in our country: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Abken.
