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    Home » Everything Amish » Plain Culture

    What Is This Building?

    Published: Nov 14, 2014 · Updated: Nov 14, 2014 by Kevin Williams | 6 Comments

    By Kevin Williams

    I will admit that I am not as familiar with the Wayne County, Indiana Amish as I am other groups.  This is largely because I am not as familiar in general with the Lancaster County Amish and that is where this group has their roots.  They have a whole different set of customs and traditions.

    Fountain Acres area pics and food 004 editedFountain Acres area pics and food 005 editedWe spotted this small structure/building in a field at an Amish home in Wayne County.  My first thought, and I probably still lean this direction, is that it is an outhouse.  Although the middle of a field seems a strange spot for one.  You'd think if you have to go answer nature's call in the night you wouldn't want to have to negotiate a dark field.  Most outhouses I see in Amish settlements are closer to the home. The photos here show the front and the back.  Many outhouses I've visited have similar windows and are set back some ways from the house.  Yet this just seems like an odd spot for an outhouse.

    Yet, I did see other similar-looking structures at other homes that had to have been phone shacks.  For instance, there was one right at the end of someone's driveway.  Clearly not a spot for an outhouse.  The style was similar to this.  Yet, for a phone shack,there were no wires going in or out of any of the structures.   So I suppose this opens up the possibility that there is yet another purpose for these shacks.  Does anyone know?

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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. Missy

      November 14, 2014 at 11:14 am

      We had something like that near our barn. It had the well in it. Whey there was a shed around it I don't know.

      Reply
    2. Karen

      November 14, 2014 at 2:37 pm

      In our area, school children wait for the bus in one of these, staying out of the cold and wind during the winter.

      Reply
      • Kevin

        November 14, 2014 at 4:15 pm

        What makes this structure so odd, though, is its location in the middle of a field...seems like hardly the spot for a shelter, outhouse, or phone shanty...maybe it is a well-house...

        Reply
    3. Carol Morris

      November 14, 2014 at 6:18 pm

      Looks like a good place to fill with hay and let the cows eat in luxury

      Reply
    4. Carol Crowe Phillips

      November 15, 2014 at 2:08 am

      The ones by the road could be a place to wait for a ride to school in bad weather.

      Reply
    5. jeff

      November 15, 2014 at 3:09 am

      Can You RUN All the Way Back to the House when the s--t hits the pants? in the middle of the field???

      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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