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    Home » The Plain Columns » The Amish Editor

    Adams County Journal: Bench Wagons and Signs

    Published: Feb 20, 2014 · Updated: Feb 3, 2021 by Kevin Williams | 4 Comments

    I thought I would share some last observations from my visit to Adams County, Ohio's "Wheat Ridge" community.  One thing that caught my eye was what looked like a "miniature" bench wagon parked in someone's driveway.  Bench wagons - as the name implies - are storage vehicles used to cart benches from location to location.  It is a little difficult to discern size from this photo, but this bench wagon is considerably smaller than ones I've seen elsewhere. Since Amish church services are generally held in private homes, the bench wagon provides a means to transport materiel from place to place.  In addition to the benches on which the church congregants sit upon, the wagon also contains the songbooks (Ausbund) and sometimes even silverware and dishes.  Most bench wagons also contain a "lost and found" box for someone who leaves that errant glove or bonnet behind.  I asked an Amishman why this bench wagon appeared so much smaller and he didn't really answer (although I have a theory which I'll share).  He did say that the benches in the wagon are 8-foot long and that many churches elsewhere use longer benches.  One theory I have is that Adams County, Ohio is such a hilly settlement (not just gentle rollers, but STEEP hills) that a smaller bench wagon is probably easier for the horses to pull.  So the churches here have opted to go with shorter benches that will pack into a tinier space.  Here are a few other scenes from my visit to Adams County before we say goodbye to this settlement for awhile.

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    About Kevin Williams

    Hi, my name is Kevin Williams and I am owner of Oasis Newsfeatures and editor of The Amish Cook newspaper column.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Patricia T

      February 21, 2014 at 9:30 am

      Thanks for taking us places we can't all go! I love learning about the Amish, respect their lifestyle and family values, and looking at your pics!

      Reply
      • Kevin

        February 21, 2014 at 9:36 am

        Thank you Patricia, makes it a pleasure to share if I know others are enjoying the journey with me!

        Reply
    2. brenda

      February 21, 2014 at 3:49 pm

      I certainly cannot say it better than Patricia. Thank you,,Kevin

      Reply
    3. Cheryl

      February 21, 2014 at 4:22 pm

      What happened to Teacher Mahlon?

      Reply

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    Kevin Williams - The Amish Editor Amish Cook Column

    Hi There, I'm Kevin!

    Welcome to Amish365, where I share my knowledge of Amish cooking and culture! I’ve spent almost three decades exploring Amish settlements and kitchens from Maine to Montana and almost everywhere in between. I’ll occasionally throw in stories of my travels, journalism adventures (I’m a Pulitzer prize-nominated journalist), fascination with grocery stores and Kmarts, and much more!

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