The Amish are people of distinctive characteristics. They wear plain clothes. Amish males dress alike regardless of age -- black felt hats; denim or serge trousers held up by suspenders, hooks and eyes; no shirt pockets; two-side pants pockets only and no zippers. They practice non-resistance of violence. They do not use electricity, modern devices, and appliances. They travel via horse-drawn carriages (buggies). The Amish are, however, known for being excellent farmers. They do all their farming with horses and mules. They are taught the value of hard work early in life.

Everything the Amish do and wear has religious significance. The Amish belief and philosophy of life is based primarily on the Biblical teaching found in II Corinthians 6:14-18: "Therefore come out from them and be separate." The Amish are taught to "...live in the world but be not of the world" (I Peter 2:11).

The first Amish came from Europe to America and settled in the William Penn colony around 1737. There are "somewhere around 160,000 Old Order Amish living in the US with probably another 10 or 15 thousand more living in Canada and South America....The largest concentration of Amish, more than 40,000, dwell in a five county area surrounding Holmes County, Ohio (USA Today, April 15, 2005)."

If you are a tourist in Amish country, please respect them by not taking still pictures or videos of Amish people of any age or gender.

If you are interested in a tour of the Amish community, please visit this website: http://www.woodshedheirlooms.com/tours.htm