Nestled inside a strip mall, this is the Amish Farm and House in Lancaster, PA. Since they were close, Susan and Rob decided to shoot me in front of this great place where you can learn a little about the Pennsylvania Dutch or Amish.
The property was given to colonial Governor John Evans by William Penn, the original owner and founder of Pennsylvania 1715.
In 1792, the Lancaster-Philadelphia Turnpike was built and brought with it many changes to the area which was largely undeveloped wilderness. Now known as Lincoln Highway or
Route 30, it was the first paved road in the United States.
As businesses boomed and traffic increased along this 62 mile highway, it also brought in an influx of people who found it fashionable to live along the Lancaster-Philadelphia Turnpike.
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| Current house |
The limestone barn was finished in 1803, In 1895,
original descendents of the Evans family, Isaac and Mary began construction of the current limestone house from stones found in the quarry located on the property.
The property changed hands from Quakers to Mennonites and Amish, this house has remained a farm though 150 years and seven generations of families.
The property changed hands from Quakers to Mennonites and Amish, this house has remained a farm though 150 years and seven generations of families.
The Amish Farm and House became the first tourist attraction in Lancaster County on July 1, 1955, It was the brainchild of Adolph Neuber, a local restauranteur and founder of tourism after witnessing increased tourist traffic to the area. This was largely due to new play on Broadway titled "Plain and Fancy."
Neuber purchased the 25 acre farm mainly to educate the public on how the Old Order Amish lived and worked. According to their website, it was opened "to provide a quality educational experience reflecting the historical and modern customs of Lancaster County's Amish and that is authentic, accurate, cooperative and respectful of its Amish neighbors.
We are proud to say that we are the first tourist attraction in Lancaster County and the first tourist Amish attraction in the United States."
Since this house is located off of Route 30, there is a rare mile marker on the property.
Here are the links:
The Amish Farm and House official website
Amish and Plain people site:
History of the Amish people
Wikipedia article:
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| Mile Marker |
I love reading about the Amish and Mennonite people. They are such hardworking and christian folks. We actually have a large farm in our immeadiate area that belongs to a Mennonite family. Not far from us there are many Amish families as well.
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