Plain and Simple: Old Order Amish in Nappanee, Indiana
Dec 16th, 2009 | By Jessica Nunemaker | Category: Extras, NappaneeEarly in the morning, our new friend pulled up to the Victorian Inn to pick us up for a personal tour of the Old Order Amish homes, etc. in Nappanee, Indiana. Having worked closely with these Amish families for many years, she considered many very good friends, and really has the insider’s view on their simple way of life.
Each Amish settlement is broken up into districts and the bishop in each district decides on the rules for the people. For instance, the Amish in Nappanee, Indiana would have different rules to follow than the Amish communities in Ohio or Pennsylvania; even differing from the town right next door. All Old Order Amish do have a few things in common: no cars, no posing for photos, and no ornamentation.
Interestingly enough, the Bishop isn’t voted in, but, rather when a new Bishop is needed (after the death of the previous Bishop), eight men will each choose one Bible, and whomever takes the one with a slip of paper inside of it is the new Bishop…for life!
As you can see from the photo, the Amish here have their own schools. Much like their homes, Amish schools don’t even possess shutters, which is considered “too fancy” though you can see they do have playground equipment like swings, teeter-totters, and slides. The schools are usually run by two teachers. Amish students attend up to 8th grade but when they turn 16 their education is considered complete.
While once upon a time, the Old Order Amish in Nappanee weren’t allowed to have rugs, pictures, or even curtains, judging from the whispering of fabric peeking out of many windows, the current Bishop has allowed curtains at least, though he will decide what color curtains are and aren’t allowed. 
Even their cemeteries stick to the “less is best” ideal. Located every few miles, no one headstone sticks out over the rest. Names and dates are the only things on the tombstone. No flowers, wreaths, or anything of that sort. It is uniform and very, very tidy.
Every other weekend, one Amish family will have church and furnish lunch for the members of the district (here, in Nappanee, there are 33 Amish families). They sing a cappella, conduct the service in High German, and after the service, share lunch. No work is done on Sunday except for feeding the animals. At the end of the lunch, whomever is going to host church the next time will take the white wagon back with them.
All the farmers have giant workhorses. These massive animals have shaggy patches near their hooves and are quite tall. They work in groups of eight, making two trips up and down the field, then rest while the farmer switches them out for a fresh team. You can imagine how long it would take to get a field completed without using a tractor!
If you head to Nappanee, Indiana, you may notice little buildings at the bottom of every driveway. These are actually phone booths! No, they aren’t for Amish teens, the phone inside is used only in case of an emergency. Bad things can happen to anyone and the Amish do take advantage of a few modern conveniences when it comes to protecting their own.
The Nappanee, Indiana Amish ride bikes everywhere unless they are heading to town, in which case they hook up the horse and buggy. Apparently, (so says my source) these Amish treat their buggy like many non-Amish men (or “English” as they call it) like to treat their cars: with pride; the insides might have plush velvet and are very comfortable.
It can be quite a culture shock the first time you see someone so plainly dressed. But even the Nappanee, Indiana Amish like to hit yard sales on Thursdays and Fridays, eat out at the local pizza joint, get groceries, even use the Laundromat! Sounds a lot like you and me, don’t you think?
Nappanee, Indiana; Elkhart County
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December 16th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Stopping by from SITS
. My family and I went to PA a few years ago to attend a wedding and while we were there, we got to visit some of the Amish there and it was a wonderful experience. I hope you are having a good Wednesday! xo, KA
December 16th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Stopping by from SITS!
I grew up in Ohio, just a short drive from Amish country. In fact, as a girl, I went to a farm camp run by an Amish Menonite family. It was an experience I’ll never forget, and so much fun. I loved your historiography and pictures– totally took me back to a summer of great memories!
~Elizabeth
Elizabeth´s last blog ..Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (I see a giveaway!)
December 19th, 2009 at 10:32 am
I have spent some time in Amish country in PA, so I knew some of these things, but I had no idea that each Amish community had a different Bishop and different laws! I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Amish graveyard either…that’s so interesting.
I really enjoyed reading this. So informative!
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December 19th, 2009 at 11:37 am
“Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest”
This is some interesting information…especially about the selection process for a new Bishop. I’m assuming that all 8 of the men really truly want to be Bishop and it’s not just a list of some of the best men in the town…right?
When I worked out in Annapolis, I would visit the Amish market for groceries and lunch and loved it. Now that I live in Chicago, my husband drives through Indiana (he’s a truck driver) and we see this sign for an Amish furniture market that we always say we’re going to visit.
Loved the post!
December 19th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Visiting from SITS! We live close to PA, and have taken tours of the Amish Country. I love visiting their markets, and we’ve purchased a few furniture pieces!
January 25th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
You just can’t go wrong with Amish made, um, anything!
April 28th, 2010 at 12:42 am
There’s a little Amish community near where I live– or maybe Pennsylvania Dutch?? Anyway, I always like seeing it, it’s a nice change from the city.
April 28th, 2010 at 1:27 am
How interesting! Stopping by from SITS for your feature day.
Mary at Deep South Dish´s last blog ..Step by Step Homemade Mississippi Roast Beef Po’Boy with Gravy
April 28th, 2010 at 3:46 am
What an easy way to choose the next Bishop! I like that–takes al the politics out of it. I’m sure they pray for God’s will first before they choose the Bible. This was interesting about the Amish.
Congrats on your SITS day!
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April 28th, 2010 at 5:46 am
Never been to an amish community. Heard they make some good eats! I’ll have to check it out one day. Thanks Jessica!
Alex aka Ma, What’s For Dinner
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April 28th, 2010 at 7:08 am
Wow what an eye opening blog. I found you via SITS
Just joined the SITS band wagon and glad I did. Found this to be a really interesting post! Thanks for sharing.
April 28th, 2010 at 7:18 am
I’ve visited the Amish country here in PA – but some of the things you’ve learned I hadn’t yet…thanks for sharing!
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April 28th, 2010 at 7:42 am
Growing up in LaGrange and living near Shipshewana we got to know several Amish families. It’s such a fascinating way of life.
Mommie Daze´s last blog ..Did You Think Kids Need to Go to Pre-school?
April 28th, 2010 at 7:56 am
Interesting facts. There were quite a few Amish in Upstate NY when I lived there and we would see them riding through town on their buggy.
Lorri Jeanne´s last blog ..Angel And Apostle
April 28th, 2010 at 8:26 am
The Amish way of life has always been interesting to me. The simple way of life…sometimes I wish that is how all America lived.
Happy SITS Day!
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April 28th, 2010 at 8:47 am
Wow, was that was really interesting to read…I had no idea….Thank you for enlightening me.
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April 28th, 2010 at 9:41 am
Hmmm….I didn’t realize Old Order Amish went ro restaurants or laundromats! Very cool! Love this post! Thanks for representing small town USA!
Kerri´s last blog ..Oh What A Day!
April 28th, 2010 at 10:10 am
We love visiting “Amish country”. My husband should have been born Amish…he loves the simple life!!! I’d be ok as long as I could have my computer.
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April 28th, 2010 at 11:12 am
That’s so interesting that they use phones for emergencies! It’s a good exception to make
Sarah´s last blog ..Pee happens
April 28th, 2010 at 11:35 am
I can honestly say that I probably would never survive in a community like that. But for those raised in that community from birth it’s nothing new and we look like the weird ones. I think it would be an amazing learning experience to try it for a week. I bet if teenagers today tried to live that way for a week that would definitely be more grateful for what they have.
Thanks for really explaining it…
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April 28th, 2010 at 11:43 am
How interesting that they use the Laundromat!
April 29th, 2010 at 12:31 am
How interesting! Thanks for sharing.
Stopping by from SITS . . .
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