"I heard say every time it rains, a new settlement springs up in Wisconsin."1 There are currently 46 Amish settlements in Wisconsin. The Amish number over 15,700, making the Badger State the fourth largest state of Amish residency.2
Who are the Amish?
The Amish are an ethnoreligious society, whose roots lie in the Radical Reformation of the early sixteenth century in Europe. These reformers wanted to further change the Protestant movement in Switzerland by advocating for adult baptism, insisting on the separation of church and state, and supporting a non-resistant lifestyle. In a period of religious turmoil, where citizenship was often determined by baptism into a church, these reforms were met with strong resistance. Because they re-baptized themselves into their new church as adults, adherents became known as Anabaptists. They were persecuted throughout Europe, being tortured, hunted, and burned for their beliefs. Many were forced to worship secretly in homes or caves.
In the late seventeenth century, Jakob Ammann, a convert to Anabaptism, pushed for stricter regulations on dress and appearance. He insisted on having communion twice a year and wanted to institute the ritual of footwashing based on precedent from the New Testament. His stance on shunning wayward members brought strong opposition from some Anabaptists and, in 1693, Ammann's adherents broke away to form their own distinctive group, later known as the Amish.
The Amish arrived in America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Since then, they have grown to over 260,000 individuals in 28 states and one Canadian province. As stated above, there are currently 46 Amish settlements in Wisconsin with a population of over 15,700. Settlements are divided into districts, which meet every other week for worship in a member's home.
Although answering the question "Who are the Amish?" may seem like an easy one, it is wrought with complications. The "Amish" constitute a variety of Anabaptists. One Amish group does not always fellowship or intermarry with another Amish group. One group may have yellow buggies, while another may insist on black. In Wisconsin, most of the Amish are Old Order Amish, though there are some differences. The Old Order Amish in Fennimore and Platteville are more progressive than the Amish in Cashton. The Amish in Loyal and Neillsville are some of the most conservative Amish in the world (rejecting even the orange slow moving vehicle signs on their buggies). They are known as "Swartzentruber Amish." There are New Order Amish around Spencer, Wisconsin. The New Order Amish dress plainly, but allow telephones in homes, tractors for fieldwork, and have a greater emphasis on Bible study. Related groups like Groffdale Mennonites, who also drive horse-and-buggy around Amish settlements in Clark County, Wisconsin, are distinct religious communities and do not share in worship together.
The Amish are an ethnoreligious society, whose roots lie in the Radical Reformation of the early sixteenth century in Europe. These reformers wanted to further change the Protestant movement in Switzerland by advocating for adult baptism, insisting on the separation of church and state, and supporting a non-resistant lifestyle. In a period of religious turmoil, where citizenship was often determined by baptism into a church, these reforms were met with strong resistance. Because they re-baptized themselves into their new church as adults, adherents became known as Anabaptists. They were persecuted throughout Europe, being tortured, hunted, and burned for their beliefs. Many were forced to worship secretly in homes or caves.
In the late seventeenth century, Jakob Ammann, a convert to Anabaptism, pushed for stricter regulations on dress and appearance. He insisted on having communion twice a year and wanted to institute the ritual of footwashing based on precedent from the New Testament. His stance on shunning wayward members brought strong opposition from some Anabaptists and, in 1693, Ammann's adherents broke away to form their own distinctive group, later known as the Amish.
The Amish arrived in America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Since then, they have grown to over 260,000 individuals in 28 states and one Canadian province. As stated above, there are currently 46 Amish settlements in Wisconsin with a population of over 15,700. Settlements are divided into districts, which meet every other week for worship in a member's home.
Although answering the question "Who are the Amish?" may seem like an easy one, it is wrought with complications. The "Amish" constitute a variety of Anabaptists. One Amish group does not always fellowship or intermarry with another Amish group. One group may have yellow buggies, while another may insist on black. In Wisconsin, most of the Amish are Old Order Amish, though there are some differences. The Old Order Amish in Fennimore and Platteville are more progressive than the Amish in Cashton. The Amish in Loyal and Neillsville are some of the most conservative Amish in the world (rejecting even the orange slow moving vehicle signs on their buggies). They are known as "Swartzentruber Amish." There are New Order Amish around Spencer, Wisconsin. The New Order Amish dress plainly, but allow telephones in homes, tractors for fieldwork, and have a greater emphasis on Bible study. Related groups like Groffdale Mennonites, who also drive horse-and-buggy around Amish settlements in Clark County, Wisconsin, are distinct religious communities and do not share in worship together.
Amish society
Much of Amish society is determined by Gelassenheit (yielding, submission). The Amish believe in the submission of the individual for the greater good of the community. As a result, tradition and uniformity dictate most aspects of Amish life. Worship is conducted in homes with other members of a church district. Worship is conducted in Pennsylvania Dutch (Deitsch) with the written liturgy in archaic German. The Bible is Luther's translation and the hymnbook is a collection of hymns penned by early Anabaptist prisoners from the seventeenth century, the Ausbund. No musical notes are found in the hymnal and no musical accompaniment or harmonies are allowed.
Each church district is held together by an Ordnung (rules of order), which highlights appropriate behavior. Any baptized member who strays from the rules of the Ordnung is subject to excommunication, which is usually followed by shunning. Shunning is social avoidance of the individual. Upon appropriate confession and forgiveness, the individual may be allowed back into communion with the other believers. Both the Ordnung and group traditions and pressures ensure that all district members maintain the same interpretation of being separate from the world (an important Amish tenet of non-conformity with outsiders). Just as buggy styles may vary from one district to the next, so too does dress and technology. The Cashton Amish pump water indoors by gravity from collection cisterns, as a result they do not have hot running water. They allow indoor bathrooms (unlike the Swartzentrubers in Loyal and Neillsville), but the toilets are non-flushing pit toilets. This is very different from the Amish in Mondovi, who have running hot and cold water indoors.
Dress of all Amish is plain, but again the interpretation of "plain" will vary from district to district. Most Amish men in Wisconsin wear either straw or felt hats (Stroh/Wollhut 3) outdoors, have either full- or half-button down shirts with suspenders, broadfall pants, and black shoes. Married men (or younger men) are required to grow a beard without a moustache. Most Amish women in Wisconsin wear a solid colored dress and white mesh prayer caps (Kapp). When they head into town they also wear a large black bonnet (Bannet) to cover the prayer cap, an apron, and a matching cape (Halsduch). The cape is a piece of fabric attached at the back of the waist and drawn over the head and pinned to the front of the waist. Female children wear a dress and pinafore apron (Aermelschatz), which buttons behind the neck and has two sleeves. On Sunday for worship, men wear white shirts, black pants and a black vest (Tschaeket); women wear a dress, white apron and a white cape (the Amish women in Owen wear black).
Depending on the size of the district, there may be several one-room schools. These are parochial schools operated by the Amish and taught (usually) by Amish teachers, who have no formal training in education. All Amish end schooling around eighth grade, though some states require teens to keep vocational school diaries or complete other projects when they begin work. The right for the Amish to establish their own parochial schools has a special Wisconsin connection. Wisconsin vs. Yoder et al was a Supreme Court case in 1972, which unanimously decided that the Amish are not required to send their children to public schools and that they may end their education before high school.
Much of Amish society is determined by Gelassenheit (yielding, submission). The Amish believe in the submission of the individual for the greater good of the community. As a result, tradition and uniformity dictate most aspects of Amish life. Worship is conducted in homes with other members of a church district. Worship is conducted in Pennsylvania Dutch (Deitsch) with the written liturgy in archaic German. The Bible is Luther's translation and the hymnbook is a collection of hymns penned by early Anabaptist prisoners from the seventeenth century, the Ausbund. No musical notes are found in the hymnal and no musical accompaniment or harmonies are allowed.
Each church district is held together by an Ordnung (rules of order), which highlights appropriate behavior. Any baptized member who strays from the rules of the Ordnung is subject to excommunication, which is usually followed by shunning. Shunning is social avoidance of the individual. Upon appropriate confession and forgiveness, the individual may be allowed back into communion with the other believers. Both the Ordnung and group traditions and pressures ensure that all district members maintain the same interpretation of being separate from the world (an important Amish tenet of non-conformity with outsiders). Just as buggy styles may vary from one district to the next, so too does dress and technology. The Cashton Amish pump water indoors by gravity from collection cisterns, as a result they do not have hot running water. They allow indoor bathrooms (unlike the Swartzentrubers in Loyal and Neillsville), but the toilets are non-flushing pit toilets. This is very different from the Amish in Mondovi, who have running hot and cold water indoors.
Dress of all Amish is plain, but again the interpretation of "plain" will vary from district to district. Most Amish men in Wisconsin wear either straw or felt hats (Stroh/Wollhut 3) outdoors, have either full- or half-button down shirts with suspenders, broadfall pants, and black shoes. Married men (or younger men) are required to grow a beard without a moustache. Most Amish women in Wisconsin wear a solid colored dress and white mesh prayer caps (Kapp). When they head into town they also wear a large black bonnet (Bannet) to cover the prayer cap, an apron, and a matching cape (Halsduch). The cape is a piece of fabric attached at the back of the waist and drawn over the head and pinned to the front of the waist. Female children wear a dress and pinafore apron (Aermelschatz), which buttons behind the neck and has two sleeves. On Sunday for worship, men wear white shirts, black pants and a black vest (Tschaeket); women wear a dress, white apron and a white cape (the Amish women in Owen wear black).
Depending on the size of the district, there may be several one-room schools. These are parochial schools operated by the Amish and taught (usually) by Amish teachers, who have no formal training in education. All Amish end schooling around eighth grade, though some states require teens to keep vocational school diaries or complete other projects when they begin work. The right for the Amish to establish their own parochial schools has a special Wisconsin connection. Wisconsin vs. Yoder et al was a Supreme Court case in 1972, which unanimously decided that the Amish are not required to send their children to public schools and that they may end their education before high school.
For many outsiders, Amish society provides an escape from our hectic, busy lives. Yet, the Amish are people, too. They have faults and virtues... just as everyone else. Sadly some of mainstream society's ills also occur in Amish society. Several instances in Wisconsin were highly publicized in both local and national news sources. In 2011, two Amish brothers from Grant County were charged with sexual assault of a child and incest; neither received full prison terms, though one must be a life-registrant of the Wisconsin sex offender database.4 In 2004, a highly publicized case from Vernon County made its way to national headlines. Several members of an Amish family were charged with sexual assault, battery and failure to protect a child. When the woman initially came forward in the community, Amish forms of justice were imposed. The woman felt that the crimes against her did not match the punishments, so she appealed to outside law enforcement. In the end, three of the woman's brothers received jail terms for their crimes.5 The woman is no longer a member of the Amish community.
Throughout their history together, the Anabaptists and the government have clashed numerous times. Life in Wisconsin for the Amish has not always been without tension. Several incidents with state government, including Wisconsin vs. Yoder et al (1972), continue to shape the sometimes uneasy relationship between the Amish and Wisconsin. The most conservative Amish in Wisconsin, the Swartzentrubers, are often the focus of these legal battles, as they have a very strict interpretation of separation from and nonconformity to the outside world. In 2008, one Swartzentruber Amish man was charged for failing to register his livestock.6 The State contends that their refusal to register their livestock will delay a swift response to livestock disease outbreaks. The Swartzentrubers believe that assigning numbers to their farms and livestock is "marking the beast" from Revelations. The Amish and their supporters claim that the state is infringing on their religious freedom; the matter is still being discussed. Since 2007, the Amish in Jackson County have been at odds with county officials over building code permits.7 This conflict continues as well. Most recently in 2012, county attorneys appealed the case at a district court level, when a Jackson County Court dismissed a case against an Amish sawmill owner, who failed to get the necessary building permits. The District Appeal Court sided with the county and maintained that the Amish made no justification how filing a building permit conflicts with their religion. The Swartzentrubers insist that their ancestors needed no building permits and their adherence to the traditions of their forebearers dictates their exemption on religious grounds. Similar cases are also currently under review at the state Supreme Court level involving the Amish in New York.
Throughout their history together, the Anabaptists and the government have clashed numerous times. Life in Wisconsin for the Amish has not always been without tension. Several incidents with state government, including Wisconsin vs. Yoder et al (1972), continue to shape the sometimes uneasy relationship between the Amish and Wisconsin. The most conservative Amish in Wisconsin, the Swartzentrubers, are often the focus of these legal battles, as they have a very strict interpretation of separation from and nonconformity to the outside world. In 2008, one Swartzentruber Amish man was charged for failing to register his livestock.6 The State contends that their refusal to register their livestock will delay a swift response to livestock disease outbreaks. The Swartzentrubers believe that assigning numbers to their farms and livestock is "marking the beast" from Revelations. The Amish and their supporters claim that the state is infringing on their religious freedom; the matter is still being discussed. Since 2007, the Amish in Jackson County have been at odds with county officials over building code permits.7 This conflict continues as well. Most recently in 2012, county attorneys appealed the case at a district court level, when a Jackson County Court dismissed a case against an Amish sawmill owner, who failed to get the necessary building permits. The District Appeal Court sided with the county and maintained that the Amish made no justification how filing a building permit conflicts with their religion. The Swartzentrubers insist that their ancestors needed no building permits and their adherence to the traditions of their forebearers dictates their exemption on religious grounds. Similar cases are also currently under review at the state Supreme Court level involving the Amish in New York.
Clashes between local residents and the Amish in Wisconsin also occur. In several settlements, the Amish have been targets of malicious acts. In Athens, Wisconsin, gun shots were fired into an Amish home and oil thrown at a buggy driver.8 The incidents were distressing enough that reward money was offered for the apprehension of those responsible. Reward money was also offered for information related to a string of Amish-targeted attacks in the Kingston settlement in 2003. The attacks included firing potato-guns into Amish homes.9 Six years prior, also in the Kingston settlement, hate crime charges were brought against four men charged with stealing and burning an Amish buggy. One of the perpetrators claimed at the time that they "just wanted to mess with them [the Amish]."10 A horrible crime against the Amish in Wisconsin occurred in the rural Sauk County settlement of La Valle in 1997. Three local men stole a buggy and then ran over the owner with their car in an act that apparently started as a prank.11 The Amish man slowly recovered most of his previous facilities and the community raised thousands of dollars for his medical bills. Other incidents across the state include vandalism of Amish schools and robberies of buggy drivers.
Perhaps the most tragic incident against the Amish occurred in the Wilton settlement in 1995.12 A man was reportedly run off the road by an Amish buggy, causing damage to his car when it swerved into a ditch. The car owner then fired several shots from a rifle at the buggy. He then drove away, kidnapped and raped an Amish girl who was walking home from school. The man was charged with nine felonies, carrying a maximum prison sentence of 195 years, and was sentenced to sixty years in prison. In 2001, his pardon was refused by then-exiting Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson.
Perhaps the most tragic incident against the Amish occurred in the Wilton settlement in 1995.12 A man was reportedly run off the road by an Amish buggy, causing damage to his car when it swerved into a ditch. The car owner then fired several shots from a rifle at the buggy. He then drove away, kidnapped and raped an Amish girl who was walking home from school. The man was charged with nine felonies, carrying a maximum prison sentence of 195 years, and was sentenced to sixty years in prison. In 2001, his pardon was refused by then-exiting Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson.
Alongside this tension with the Amish in Wisconsin, comes considerable admiration from many Wisconsinites. Amish businesses and business that market Amish-made wares promise simplicity and home-made craftsmanship. The Amish are neighbors in times of need and distress, rebuilding barns of outsiders that are destroyed, both in Wisconsin and in neighboring states. The Amish are consumers and are appreciated by businesses in many settlements (even the Wal-Mart in Black River Falls has hitching posts for Amish buggies). Their slower lifestyles pique the curiosities of many Wisconsinites. Tourist attractions await those visiting larger settlements like Cashton. Local tourism boards sponsor Amish-themed trips around Marshfield and Kingston. The relationship between the Amish and non-Amish in Wisconsin will continue to have its struggles and its triumphs. It is hoped that the improving conversation between the two groups will deepen our appreciation of the rich cultural landscape in Wisconsin.
1 David Luthy, "Amish Migration Patterns: 1972-1992," in The Amish Struggle with Modernity, ed. Donald Kraybill and Marc Olshan, 259 (Hanover, NH: The University Press of New England, 1994).
2 “Amish Population by State (2011).” Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, Elizabethtown College. http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies/Population_by_State_2011.asp.
3 Pennsylvania Dutch words are provided for some items that are not commonly worn by mainstream society.
4 "Teens Charged in Sex Assaults," Wisconsin State Journal, August 25, 2010, A4.
5 Ed Hoskin, "4 Amish People are Arrested; Amish Woman Alleged She was Repeatedly Sexually Assaulted," Wisconsin State Journal, March 26, 2004, B3.
6 "Amish Farmer Charged in Test Case; Man is Accused of Failing to Register His Livestock with the State," Wisconsin State Journal, December 31, 2008, A5.
7 Todd Richmond, "Amish-Modern Tension Builds, Wisconsin State Journal, December 14, 2008, D13.
8 "Incidents Probed as Amish Hate Crimes," Wisconsin State Journal, May 27, 1995, 3B.
9 "Police Investigate Rash of Attacks on Amish: Cash Rewards Offered for Arrests of Perpetrators," Wisconsin State Journal, October 19, 2003, D10.
10 Ed Treleven, "4 Face Hate Crime Charges," Wisconsin State Journal, November 11, 1997, 1B.
11 Phil Brinkman, "Man Suffers Serious Injury in Alleged Stolen Buggy Incident, Wisconsin State Journal, January 18, 2000, 3B.
12 "Hate Crime Charges Filed in Rape of an Amish Girl," Wisconsin State Journal, November 7, 1995, 1A.
1 David Luthy, "Amish Migration Patterns: 1972-1992," in The Amish Struggle with Modernity, ed. Donald Kraybill and Marc Olshan, 259 (Hanover, NH: The University Press of New England, 1994).
2 “Amish Population by State (2011).” Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, Elizabethtown College. http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies/Population_by_State_2011.asp.
3 Pennsylvania Dutch words are provided for some items that are not commonly worn by mainstream society.
4 "Teens Charged in Sex Assaults," Wisconsin State Journal, August 25, 2010, A4.
5 Ed Hoskin, "4 Amish People are Arrested; Amish Woman Alleged She was Repeatedly Sexually Assaulted," Wisconsin State Journal, March 26, 2004, B3.
6 "Amish Farmer Charged in Test Case; Man is Accused of Failing to Register His Livestock with the State," Wisconsin State Journal, December 31, 2008, A5.
7 Todd Richmond, "Amish-Modern Tension Builds, Wisconsin State Journal, December 14, 2008, D13.
8 "Incidents Probed as Amish Hate Crimes," Wisconsin State Journal, May 27, 1995, 3B.
9 "Police Investigate Rash of Attacks on Amish: Cash Rewards Offered for Arrests of Perpetrators," Wisconsin State Journal, October 19, 2003, D10.
10 Ed Treleven, "4 Face Hate Crime Charges," Wisconsin State Journal, November 11, 1997, 1B.
11 Phil Brinkman, "Man Suffers Serious Injury in Alleged Stolen Buggy Incident, Wisconsin State Journal, January 18, 2000, 3B.
12 "Hate Crime Charges Filed in Rape of an Amish Girl," Wisconsin State Journal, November 7, 1995, 1A.