Ohio Amish

Did you know Ohio has more Amish residents than anywhere else? We didn't but were told that at a tour of an Amish farm. We went down to Holmes county to visit the Heini's Cheese Factory and the Yoder Amish farm last week. We enjoyed both tours very much.

Heini's Cheese was started by John (Hans) Dauwalder who trained as a master cheesemaker in Switzerland. He came to the United States in the 1920’s. After several successful years at the Bunker Hill Cheese Co-op, John decided to return to his hometown in Switzerland. He renewed his romance with Lili Mueller. The two fell in love and were married in 1933.
In 1948, John and Lili, together with their two children, Peter, and Marguerite, sold the family farm in Switzerland and joined John’s Brother Crist in the United States. Crist had purchased Bunker Hill Cheese in 1935 and asked John to join him in building the family cheese business.
In 1962, Peter and his wife Nancy, acquired Bunker Hill Cheese. The family business continues to be the primary outlet for the Amish farms in the region. The Amish farmers provide their milk to the factory in traditional milk cans, the same way their forefathers did.

I sampled about 15 kinds of cheese. They even had Chocolate cheese. It was all delicious. I bought some Chocolate w/ nuts and Chocolate and Coconut. Yum!!

After lunch we visited an Amish family farm. The farm was opened to the public for visits over 20 years ago. Our guide Sally showed us two homes. The small house on the right in the picture was used by the Yoder family in the 1800's. When the family outgrew the house a second house was built and lived in. There isn't any electricity used in either home. We learned about the Amish history and how the family lived. A lady was baking in the second house using a gas stove. The brownies smelled wonderful but we didn't try any. You may visit their web site to learn more.
http://www.yodersamishfarm.com

We also went on a buggy ride. This was very pleasant even though it was a very hot day. We were surprised how comfortable the buggy rode. The last part of the tour was a visit to a model of an Amish school. Children attend there schools until the 8th grade. They don't attend high school or college. The teachers are selected by the school board and don't have college degrees. If the school has more than 30 or so students a curtain is hung down the center of the building and there are two teachers in the building. All grades are in the same room. The 10 Commandments are posted on the wall. Each day includes bible study as well as academic studies.