These photographs were taken while traveling through Amish Country in Nappannee Indiana during September 2006. This region is well known for its hospitality and rich history, with a number of museums and displays open to the public. The most interesting of these was the Amish Country historical settlement, which preserved original buildings from the early 19th century for the public to view. The way of life for the Amish has remained roughly the same over many years, and the same practices still apply: children of the Amish religion are only required to be educated up to the eighth grade and members of the religion are not allowed to have telephones in their homes or to drive cars. Televisions are not allowed in the home, nor are mirrors, guns or photographs of any sort. With the advent of the internet, the religion has been pressed with a challenge - to utilize this medium to communicate information about the religion, or to forsake it and continue with the old ways. For the most part, the latter applies.

Note some of the details of the photographs. An Amish home can be distinguished by a lack of shutters. Their paint coats are usually white, blue or earthtone and bright colors are never visible on the property. These homes do not have electricity - typically, the appliances are run by propane, diesel or compressed air. Not many homes are farmhouses, since farm property is very expensive.

All photographs are copyright Matthew A. Hein. To request a high resolution copy or to comment, please contact me. Thanks for looking!

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