Laura and I made a last minute decision to travel to Amish country for our second adventure. After checking out the area's website, we had high hopes. I've always heard people rave about the goods that the Amish have to offer, so we packed up the car, strapped in Laura's son, Ethan, and off we went! An hour and a half drive to a small Tennessean town by the name of Etheridge.
The website that we had found, featured what they called the "Amish Mall." Promising a one-stop shop for all your Amish needs. Covered wagon tours were advertised, and they also promised a few local restaurants, one of which boasted of the "best fried Bologna sandwich in the south." With those images in our heads, we arrived in Etheridge. Our mouths were watering, our stomachs grumbling, and both of us speaking words of comfort to hungry Ethan riding in the back. We find and pull into the Amish Mall, only to find....
We are the only people there. So we drive fifty yards down the road to the next establishment with a sign that says "Start Here." There are signs for a restaurant and wagon tours...maybe this is it! So I walk in to check it out, and maybe pick up a map. I walk in to what looks like an antique shop, and a few antique-looking ladies sitting behind a the counter. I ask about the wagon tours-"Well he just left, but he should be back in an hour and a half." I ask if that's how long the tour is, she says "yes." I tell her that we were hoping to eat at one of the local restaurants, and she replies "Well, the place next door is closed for renovations, but will be open in the next few days. And the one behind the store has a party of 100 people, and they probably won't be able to seat you." I ask if there's anywhere else to eat close by and she points us down the road to either a BBQ joint or a local deli.
The BBQ joint ended up being Ricks BBQ, which is a chain, and we were feeling a little more adventurous. So we decided on the local deli...which turned out to be a gas station.
This was beginning to look a lot like Tennessee is depicted on Television, I'm afraid. This "deli" featured the usual gas station fare, home goods (dust ridden decor from the 70's), VHS movie rental, and in the back...the deli. Which was run by a few ladies and what looked like a 5 year old girl. However, it was a great BBQ sandwich, and we were trying to stay positive. With 3 full bellies, we decide that an hour and a half wagon tour of the Amish community may not be a good idea if Ethan gets fussy. So, armed with a map I picked up, we take the self guided tour in our car. Yeah, that's Yoder Rd!
Driving through this community is like traveling back in time. The Amish settled this region in 1944. They arrived in a railroad car loaded with their horses, farm equipment, and household goods. There are around 250 families in Lawrence Co, and make up the largest "Old Order" Amish settlement. "Old Order" means that they have no modern conveniences: no cars, no tractors, no electricity, no running water.
Their three main values are religion, family and love for the land. They sported dark colored clothing, and feel that not wearing bright colors keeps them from standing out in the world. They follow the peaceful examples of Christ in all they do. The children attend school in a one-room school house until the 8th grade. They study reading, writing, arithmetic, English, and German. They make their living by working the land, so I suppose continued education would be a waste of time for most of them. They do not believe in having their picture taken, so us shutter-bugs had to show some restraint. Every view was picturesque. Small children working in the gardens or driving horse-drawn wagons donning wide brimmed straw hats or bonnets. It struck me how much responsibility is given to children. We saw a young boy, who couldn't have been much older than 8 or 9 driving a donkey while father worked the plow behind. I was all of a sudden grateful for my care-free childhood. As we drove we realized that each home who had something to sell had signs at the end of their driveway that listed the things they sold.
So essentially you could shop around. We, however, needed to warm up to the idea of driving up the driveway, knocking on the door, and then possibly leaving without spending any money. We drove and drove looking for the least ominous house...there wasn't one. Every house looks like the one before. Gravel driveway, white clapboard siding, screen door, dark open windows, clothesline, red barn, minors working in the garden, ladies picking from the fruit trees staring at us as we drive by. Most would wave, but we felt so alien in our car with airconditioning and radio...with our bright colored clothing and short shorts. So each sign we passed, we'd peer down the driveway, look at each other, look back at the road and keep driving.
We drove up to a community pavilion and witnessed a produce auction. It looked as if a family could bring their fresh produce and auction it off to other Amish families or even outsiders. We saw an Amish man holding giant spears of broccoli while the auctioneer called for "fifty cents a pound. I see fifty. Sixty cents. I see sixty. Seventy. I see seventy. Seventy five cents..."
We also stopped to take pictures of this small church with an.....that's right....OUTHOUSE! Can you imagine?!
This family, I would guess, mills wood for their living.
It was impressive to see the men working at the wood mills. There are rows and rows of whole logs, then a place where each log gets cut and spliced, and maybe another area where longer boards are planed. All without electricity! We later took a look at some of the furniture that these men make, and it's beautiful. The seams sanded to perfection, screws nearly invisible. Just solid, well made furniture.
This community is self sustaining. Almost every house had a small garden, a few fruit trees, maybe a goat or a few cows. Some had wood mills. Some made rugs, quilts and baskets. They rely on each other, and there is something very noble about that. So simple. No fuss. No muss. Just the land, family, and the basic needs of life. I am impressed.
Well, 4 hours later, we worked up the courage to drive into a driveway. We were greeted by the stares of children from their garden. As we drove up, the smallest boy dropped his garden tool and ran inside (the messanger, obviously). They watched us as we shopped their small stand of canned goods, bread, plants, soap, and cookies. When they knew we were ready, the oldest of the children, a girl, greeted us and took our money. She went inside, and told her father what we had. Up close, and peering through the open screen window, I could see a kitchen. A counter along the wall and a small table. Bare and unfinished wood floors, and the sound of an infant or toddler inside. Nothing on the walls. No sound of a television or radio like would be playing in my home as "background noise." I think I might have heard the faint sound of a rocking chair or a creaky kitchen table chair. Her father's voice, speaking in what I assume is German. I turn around to see the three or four younger children behind me and staring. Maybe expecting entertainment? Conversation? Looking at my bright yellow silk top, and our fashion sunglasses, I'm sure. The one to my right pushes a broken piece of wood off the end of the porch...apparently embarassed that it was there to begin with. Then the screen door opens and the oldest returns with our change. We thank them, grab our mason jars of fresh goodness, and walk quickly back to the car. We did it! And it was only moderately awkward.
While this trip didn't go exactly as planned, it served its purpose in leaving us educated and in awe of a local culture. I love my modern conveniences, but it has inspired me to live a little simpler. Maybe turn the television off when I'm not watching. Maybe be grateful my hot showers and electric stove. While I'm not sure I'll make that drive again any time soon, I will take my son Carter when he is old enough to appreciate the way they live...and ultimately appreciate the way he lives.
