Penn Dutch Tradition,sightseeing in Amish Country PA

Part of the Amish Tradition of self -sufficient farm life are skills with the
horse. Each large farm might have seven draft animal for the various
chores. Other traditions are the learning of crafts of farming, woodworking,
baking, and needlework at an early age. When their crafts and confections,
including an array of strudels, come directly from the farms to the shops of
Lancaster County, they make roadside shopping in Amish country a unique
event.

Religious Traditions
Pennsylvania Dutch country takes its name from the
many groups of farmers of Swiss, Dutch, and German
descent who immigrated during the 1740s.

The Anabaptists of northern Germany had broken from
Martin Luther's teachings and later founded a church led
by Menno Simons based on strict interpretation of the
bible and a doctrine of baptism after the age of 18.

Persecuted in Europe, the Mennonites came to America
at the invitation of William Penn, a Quaker who had been
granted a huge territory by King Charles II of England.
Penn dedicated the land in his 1681,"Holy Experiment" to
religious freedom.

The Amish, an Anabaptist splinter group founded by
Jacob Amman in 1693 came to America and eventually
split further into eight levels of strictness in the
interpretation of the Bible.
For the most part, these farm folk choose to live without
modern technology but they have outfitted their
horse-drawn buggies with running lights for safety and
they also use bottled gas for light and power to run their
milking machines.

They remain focused on humility, thrift, simplicity, and
submission to a higher authority but these wholesome
farm families are no strangers to technology, they just
prefer to live without electricity and the automobile.

The Penn Dutch
Traditions include the
use of horses.
The Amish and
Mennonite farmers
are expert horse
trainers and will use
as many as ten
different horses and
mule combinations to
run the farm and to
provide
transportation.

Penn Dutch Tradition, Sightseeing in Amish Country, PA

Penn Dutch Amish tradition is to be self-sufficient;
the families teach the children the skills and crafts of farming,
woodworking, baking, and needlework at an early age.

Visitors can experience the life on an early 1700s Pennsylvania Dutch farm two miles north of
Lancaster where two brothers of German descent created the Landis Valley Museum. Costumed
guides demonstrate open-hearth cooking, weaving, and horse-drawn plowing in a preserved
traditional farm where visitors can also purchase heirloom seeds and handcrafts.

For another look at the religious history of the area, the nearby town of Ephrata preserves its Cloister,
a group of buildings built by a German charismatic leader who in 1732 gathered followers for the
practice of a celibate and mystical religion. The vegetarian sect, renown for their musical compositions
in five part vocal harmony and for their Germanic calligraphy and printing press, grew to 300 in the
1740s but then withered after 1768, remaining as a 28-acre museum with many of the original antique
buildings preserved.

Penn Dutch Tradition,
Sightseeing in Amish Country,
PA will reveal horse drawn
carriages pulled by trotters

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How to Reach Amish Penn Dutch Country:
By Auto: From the south take Route 95 to Baltimore, Route 83 to York
(Harley Factory). Route 30 to Lancaster,
From the north,: Route 95 to Philadelphia and then Routes 76, 202 and
30 to Lancaster. From the west, Harrisburg
By air: Philadelphia Airport and rental car

When to Go To Amish Penn Dutch Country: April is a good
month to visit because you might combine your visit to Amish
country with a visit to Longwood Gardens where on the second or
third week in April the tulip gardens are in full bloom. Otherwise May
until October are good months to visit and enjoy outdoor activities..