Saturday, May 19, 2018
A Trip to Amish Country, Ohio - Saturday, May 19, 2018
Approximately 40,000 Amish people live and work in Holmes, Tuscarawas, Coshocton, and Wayne Counties in the rolling hills of east-central Ohio. They are farmers, cheese makers, bakers, carpenters, furniture makers and quilters, doing everything without many of the conveniences we have come to expect in the 21st century.
After an early start and breakfast on the road, we began the day with a visit to Yoder's Amish Home where the children had a chance to see many different farm animals and run free after a long bus ride. The adults learned about the different styles of Amish houses, and everyone visited the school house where many were surprised to learn that Amish children only attend school through the 8th grade. After a buggy ride we climbed back in the bus for the ride to our next stop.
Our second stop was at Lehman's in Kidron, Ohio. Lehman's started out as a small hardware store catering to the needs of the Amish community but has gained national recognition as a source of everything for off-the-grid living. It is also a good place for a quick lunch! From here we went to Heini's Cheese Market to sample some of the cheeses made locally and then on to our last stop at the Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center for a video which rounded out some of the knowledge we had picked up during the day. We were greeted warmly and asked to make sure we signed the guest book so they could add some different countries to the list of their visitors.
The final stop for the day was at Mehlman's Cafeteria in St. Clairsville for an old-fashioned American dining experience. Mehlman's has been around for a couple of generations on Rt. 40 which, before I-70, was the main route to the west. A little over an hour later, after dodging showers all day, we were back in Morgantown just in time for a storm to unleash a burst of heavy rain.