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AMISH IN IOWA
A Guide to Iowa People, Places and Things
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INDEPTHIowa
Amish settlements offer glimpse into past
embrace tourism as a way to generate income. But the Amish here are generally welcoming of outsiders who want to stop by farms to buy pies, produce and crafts and catch a glimpse at their interesting lifestyle.

Amish can be found in northeast Iowa, in an area that runs from Independence to Oelwein and encompasses the villages of Hazleton and Fairbanks. Another large Amish settlement is located mostly south of Kalona and north of Washington. The Kalona settlement is the largest in the United States west of the Mississippi. Other smaller Amish settlements are located in Davis County, between Milton and Cantril along Iowa Highway 2 in Van Buren County, south of Chariton in Lucas County and near Lamoni in Decatur County.

The Kalona area offers, perhaps, the easiest access to the Amish people, with two excellent museums – the Kalona Historical Village and the Quilt and Textile Museum –and a hard-working Chamber of Commerce willing to offer directions to Amish businesses welcoming visitors. The Kalona Byways Tour offers an “insiders” view of Amish life from the seat of an air-conditioned van. The well-educated guides will drive participants past homes, schools and farms with stops at an Amish Farmers’ Market, the local cheese factory, and an Amish Farmers Market.

Visitors exploring the region should check out the Stringtown Grocery, north of Kalona on State Highway 1. The store, which caters to the Amish, features much of its inventory in bulk and offers decent prices and unusual items. The store’s owners welcome non-Amish but ask that you refrain from taking photographs.

Just up the road is the Kalona Cheese Factory, a great place to stop if you’re a fan of squeaky cheese curds and other fresh-made dairy products. Children and adults will be interested in watching cheese being
made through the big glass windows.

Watch for handmade signs along the roadside offering baked goods, produce and other wares. Remember to refrain from taking pictures of any Amish and ask permission to shoot photos of livestock, homes, etc.

The Amish settlement in Buchanan County, Iowa had its beginning in the fall of 1914 when seven families from the Kalona settlement moved to the Hazleton area, upset with what they felt were more liberal rules in the old settlement. Eventually, the Buchanan County settlement attracted families from Kansas, Wisconsin and Indiana as well.

The settlement here is spread across a large swath of Buchanan County and also encompasses parts of adjoining counties and has a population of about 1,200 Amish. Until 1947, the Amish in Buchanan County sent their children to the small one-room schoolhouses prevalent in rural Iowa in the first half of the century. However, after a wave of consolidation, school districts mandated in 1961 that Amish children in the seventh and eighth grade would begin attending public schools beginning in 1963.

The conflict reached its pinnacle in November, 1965 when for several days a school bus arrived at an Amish school house to take the children to public school. Each day, when the bus arrived, the children would hide in a cornfield, eluding truant officers. In 1967, at the urging of Gov. Harold Hughes, the Iowa legislature agreed to allow Amish in Iowa to operate their own schools.

County Road W-13, three miles west of Oelwein, is known locally as Amish Road and bisects a part of the county heavily populated by Amish families. You’ll notice wheel ruts on the side of the road marking the pathway of Amish buggies. Several businesses in the area offer various goods, including delicious bakery items. You’ll also see Amish schools in session on weekdays.

Maps of the area are available at the local Chamber of Commerce office.
Another worthwhile stop in eastern Iowa is the Old Dutchman’s Store in Cantril, another business catering to Amish and Mennonite families in the area. Kids love the bulk candy aisle and quilters will love the array of sewing supplies and fabric.

The store in Cantril serves a significant Amish population along Iowa Highway 2 between Bloomfield and Cantril and especially evident in the Milton area. Keep an eye open for disrupted power lines which provide a clue to Amish homes.
Amish in eastern and southern parts of Iowa still depend on old-fashioned horse power.
PHOTOS © BILL WITT
TOP: An Amish farmer shoes a horse in his barn; Above: A buggy in a beautifully-landscaped yard of an Amish farm.
Amish settlements are scattered across eastern Iowa and provide an interesting glimpse into a lifestyle that is shaped by tradition and faith. The Amish have lived here since around 1846, the year Iowa became a state. Unlike Amish in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, settlements here have been slower to