Travels With Orley: An Amish Story

“I had to pinch myself. I’m using three horses and a plow. All mine!!” – Orley Miller on plowing the first field he owned

“Oil lamps light Amish houses.” “They are old-fashioned.” “They stay home and don’t travel.” On a roll, they continued, “They think they are holier than thou.” “They never laugh or smile.”  The conversation at the coffee table had turned to the Amish. I had to see for myself.

Almost 30,000 Amish surround Shipshewana, Indiana. It’s not only the Amish who draw tourists. A 40-acre flea market is a popular destination. It would be a challenge to go away empty-handed. I saw an Amish woman leaving with an artificial Christmas tree in a wagon behind her trike. On a busy day, the town grows to around 20,000 people. About 2 million tourists visit each year. Shipshewana has a full-time population of only 850 residents.

Sonya Nash at Visit Shipshewana put me in touch with Orley Miller, a popular Amish guide. His ad in their literature read “Straight from the Horse’s Mouth.” Orley was friendly and helpful over the phone. He gave me directions to his house.

He told me that I’d see his name on his mailbox. I passed several mailboxes labelled “Miller” or “Yoder.” He was laughing when he greeted me. He had seen me pull in his driveway, pull out, and continue further down the dirt road. He often laughed and joked in the two days I spent with him. His eyes brightened when he laughed.

We traveled in his two-seat enclosed buggy to pick up bird feed at an Amish-owned farm store. As his standardbred horse, Barney, pulled us at nine miles per hour, he talked about growing up Amish. He pointed out the farm where his wife grew up. It is a big white house with a huge white barn. He told me that he would take his buggy 17 miles from his home in Topeka to visit her. He chuckled as he said he pushed it to 10 or 11 mph on his way to see Mary.

He and Mary had met in church. She had “got my eye but had a boyfriend at the time.” He asked her out when that relationship ended. They recently celebrated 62 years of marriage. They have 11 children, 64 grandchildren, 103 great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren, and another one on the way.  

On each visit to their home, they would sing together for me. Two favorite songs were “Medal for Mothers” and “Silver Haired Daddy.” They looked at each other as they sang. They love each other. He talked about the serenity he felt years ago when he was alone in his buggy on his way to see Mary.

There were over a dozen buggies in the lot of the Country Corral and as many tricycles. The Amish use pedal or electric tricycles for short trips. The yellow trikes park in handicapped spots. The parking spots for cars were empty. As I walked into the café, everyone turned towards me. I was the only “English” in the room. English is the term the Amish use for non-Amish. Many smiled and went back to their conversations. I felt welcomed.

Orley led me to the men’s coffee table. My journey here began with a men’s coffee table discussion. It could have been at my usual table. I was accepted as if I sat there every day. There was laughing, light-hearted teasing, and general conversation. One Amish man had recently returned from mission trips to Lebanon and Syria. Orley told me mission trips are not unusual and that others in his church were going to Belize.

The Amish enjoy traveling, too. One of his daughters took an Alaska cruise with Amish friends. I’ve seen them on flights. Many go to Florida in the winter.

There are thirteen subgroups of Amish. The Amish in this area are in the Elkhart-LaGrange affiliation. It is a little more liberal than some other subgroups. The Elkhart-LaGrange group doesn’t believe in having power lines run into their homes. Solar panels are now used to supply electricity. Orley has a solar panel on his buggy for running lights.

Orley invited me to his home one evening. Amish do not watch TV or movies. They enjoy visiting to talk, sing, and play games together. Orley’s brother, a retired bishop, and his wife were there when I arrived. They were playing Aggravation, a board game played with marbles. They didn’t mind having their picture taken if they weren’t posing and looking at the camera. It’s common courtesy to ask before taking anyone’s picture.