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Step Back in Time to Amish Culture in Shipshewana
Part one. This story is too big for just one post. Check
back soon for part two.
Story and photos
by Kathleen Walls
"It's
not just a different time; it's a different world." What that
old country song says is true in Shipshewana. Lagrange County,
Indiana.
The small town of Shipshewana is about half Amish. The Amish
brought their different lifestyle across the ocean with them in
the early 1700s. The first immigrants settled mostly in
Pennsylvania, but in the 1800s, a second migration brought Amish
to Indiana.
The Amish are pacifists, do not believe in
self-glorification to the point of not wanting photos taken
featuring them, dress much as the early immigrants did, and do
not believe in modern conveniences such as owning a car,
computer, or iPhone. Horse and buggies driven by bearded men
wearing white shirts, black pants, suspenders and a wide brimmed
black hat are
as common on Shipshewana streets as cars.
Pro tip: The Amish refer to all
non-Amish as "English." It is not meant to be offensive.
Farmhouse on Farver
I began my visit at
Farmhouse on Farver with a few friends. The Farmhouse is a b
and b with four bedrooms, five baths, and spacious common
quarters. Our Convention and Visitors Bureau hosts had stocked
the kitchen well with coffee, tea, soft drinks and lot of local
food.
Dutch Creek Farm Animal Park
We visited Dutch Creek Farm Animal Park
home to many farm animals common to Amish Farms and many others
from all over the world like camels and zebras. Vernon Miller,
who is Amish, has owned the park since 2008. There's a petting
area where we could touch and feed some of the animals up close.
We finished our visit with a tour of the
farm on a horse-drawn wagon where we fed the animals who all
seemed to know the wagon meant lots of handout food. We each had
a basket of feet to toss to them One greedy camel yanked my
basket out of my hand and onto the ground where he continued to
feast.
Shipshewana Popcorn
At
Shipshewana Popcorn,
the owner, Carolyn, told us how she started in 2022. She said,
"I'm just proud to be a part of this town. It's just so much
uniqueness to it of the people that we meet."
She has dozens of flavors and let us sample
a bunch. They ranged from Amish Krack to Creamy Dill and many
more. My favorite was Peach Cobbler. It was this month's flavor
of the month. She told how she chooses some of her flavors. "We
put a contest out there, Pumpkin Pie or the Peach Cobbler."
Peach Cobbler won. It's all local. She buys her kernels from
Amish Country Popcorn. It's a company out of Bern, Indiana. We
left sipping some of her delicious smoothies. Mine was Pina
Colato flavored.
Destination 814
Dinner was special. We rode to nearby
Lagrange and enjoyed dinner at Destination 814 with Marion
Wiggins. She told the story of her family's lavender farm housed
in a historic schoolhouse they renovated for an event center.
Bloomfield Lavender Apothecary
Marion is passionate about preserving
historic buildings, so she and her husband bought a Spring
Street storefront that is now
Bloomfield
Lavender Apothecary. She told us it in a rough state when
they bought it from the county. Thanks to her husband and two
workmen's hard work they opened the shop about three months
after buying it.
The schoolhouse restoration took forever
with all the Historic Preservation rules but is now the
centerpiece of the farm where they have over 5400 lavender
plants. We visited the shop and saw the many products using
their lavender, and also other local makers' products. I learned
about the many varieties of lavender she had draped across the
shop's ceiling.
 
The historic 1868 brick building housing
the apothecary is a classic example of late-19th-century Midwest
commercial architecture. I love the historic details preserved
in it, especially the antique door to what was once a safe. It
all ties in with lavender's use since ancient times.
JoJo's Pretzels
Next morning,
JoJo's Pretzels was
a fun treat. Pretzels are rooted in Pennsylvania Dutch
traditions and Indiana Amish brought the tradition here. Jameson
and his sister, Maria, who now run JoJo's Pretzels, told us a
lot about their family history as they taught us how to roll our
own soft pretzel. We rolled our dough into a long skinny rope
then twisted it like Jamison told us.
He explained a bit about pretzel history.
"They were actually invented in Italy by an Italian Catholic
monk who wanted to teach his students how to say their prayers."
He showed us how kids used to pray by folding their arms to make
a cross over their heart. The pretzel's three holes signifying
the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Their
parents, Levi and Joanna King, started the businesses back in
1989 using an old Amish family recipe from Joanna's great
grandmother from Pennsylvania. They named it JoJo's for Joanna
and still own it today. They both used to be Amish and met in
Florida where Amish, whether they're from Ohio, Indiana, or
Pennsylvania, love to visit.
Davis Mercantile
Jamison told us about this building and the
history behind it. "My great-grandpa, we're going all the way
back here, he started a sawmill and my grandpa took over the
sawmill and then he later sold it and used that money to buy
this building." He continued, "Back in the 1800s to the late
1900s, it was the Davis Hotel, but the last 50 years it's been
the Davis Mercantile."
The original building burned down in 2004.
We rebuilt it in 2006. It's a timber frame building, built by an
Amish architect. Jamison gives a lot of credit to locals. All
the local community helped build it. We had some architects and
engineers, obviously, on the job, but most of the community, it
was like a big old barn raising. It took about a year."
After sampling some delicious pretzels and
several of JoJo's homestyle dips, we browsed the four floors of
shops in Davis
Mercantile. There are 21 shops ranging from clothing to
music and even a cabinetmaker. Theire's even a
370 years old tree trunk in the middle of the stairwell.
My favorite was the historic Dentzel
Carousel on the fourth floor. The animals on the carousel were
carved by an Amish artist, Al Bontrager, who learned carving
from his grandfather. The animals are the ones you will see in
Shipshewana, horses, chickens, cows, and dogs.
Murals
Outside and on the surrounding building, I
saw many murals. My favorite of these was one of Heziakel Davis
in the
Morton Street Art Alley. Sal Cabrera, a sign painter from
Pennsylvania, one of a group of artists known as the Walldogs,
painted it in 2014. Altogether, the Walldogs painted 16
historical murals around Shipshewana.
Hezekiah Davis came to Lagrange around 1837
when he was twelve. Later in 1888, he founded the town of
Shipshewana.
Cherry Pickers
Cherry Pickers, just yards away from Davis Mercantile,
combine salvaged building material and furnishings with
repurposing them to beautiful useful finds while still keeping
the historic feel.
Mark and Stephanie Liechty started it in
2012 and as I browsed and met Mark's father, himself a cabinet
maker, I discovered many antiques I loved. My favorite was an
antique icebox.
Teaberry on Morton
Our Basket Maker Experience at
Teaberry on Morton taught us a lot about the dertail work
that goes int Amish crafts. Our instructor, Rose, helped us
through the process. We began with oval shaped wood cutouts and
some tabs and ended with a beautiful basket. Rose named the tabs
"Long John" and "Short Sue" to help us know which tabs went all
the way to the bottom, and which stopped inside the basket.
Lavern Miller, a third-generation
woodworker, ran a sawmill before his wife, Rachel, began turning
leftover wood scraps into art. The wood art's popularity led
them to open their first shop in nearby Middlebury in 2011 and a
second here in Shipshewana in 2020.
Scherger's Kettle
At Scherger's Kettle Jams & Salsas, Kelly
McConnell showed us around the building. She co-owns the
business with her parents, David and Margaret Scherger, and its
newest partner, Megan Newton. The small operation produces local
jellies, jams, and sauces for wholesale customers. They also
bottle products for other local producers. We sampled several
delicious jams.
Amish cooks, Miriam and Rose, were making
triple berry jam with cherries, blackberries, and blueberries in
a large kettle. Kelly explained that they cool a small sample in
the freezer to check whether it has set properly. If not, they
cook the batch longer and may add more pectin.
Country Lane Bakery
We had lunch at
Country Lane Bakery. Vernon Yoder, who opened Country Lane
Bakery 2.0 in August 2025, told us a bit about the bakery's
family history. "My parents started the business back in 96. I
was just a little boy back then, so I helped out after school
and weekends."
His
dad was a farmer until he was diagnosed with a rare muscle
disease. So, he had to pursue a different lifestyle. His mom was
baking for neighbors and sometimes bake sales so they decided to
start a bakery. They sold the farm, kept some land off of it and
opened a bakery. It's grown over the years. Vernon and his wife,
Jo Ann, bought the business and when he had the opportunity to
add this location by Davis Mercantile, he was happy. It has more
retail space, they can sell sandwiches, doughnuts, coffee, and
homemade baked goods, and do quite a bit of wholesaling.
Vernon told us his best seller at lunch is
The Smash Burger. I couldn't resist the homemade Chicken Potpie
and had no regrets. One of my friends did have the Smashburger
and loved it. Even though we were so full, we sampled some of
his delicious pies and pastries.
Silver Star Leather
Loren Yoder, like many young Amish men,
began working in an RV factory where hard work earned him enough
to save and start a harness shop. His
Silver
Star Leather beganmaking harnesses for the many houses in
Amish country. It was plodding along with lots of competition
until his wife, Dorcas, got involved. She began making purses.
That was a big success. He showed us the first one he sold and
how the buyer came back year after year to keep it in top shape
from 2009 to 2024.
Cutting into a long piece of leather, he
made a belt and embossed it right at the table. He explained how
he uses conventual cowhide and many exotic leathers. A florida
connection is an alligator hide he displays thert came from St.
Johns River right in my neighborhood and some snake skin from
the exotic snakes being dumped into the Everglades.
Taste of Shipshewana with Linda King
One of the highlights of our trip was
enjoying a family-style Amish meal in a private home. Taste of
Shipshewana with Linda King offers an insight of Amish life.
We began with a buggy ride with her
husband, Lamar King, and then Linda and her family welcomed us
while she prepared a family-style Amish meal. Our table was set
beautifully with candles and bread; butter, jams, and Amish
peanut butter. Amish children learn to do household chores
young.
While Linda was busy in the kitchen, her daughter brought
our food to pass around. She started with colorific salad, then
noodles, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, corn, ham, and
chicken. It was delicious and filling, but I couldn't resist the
pecan pie. It was one of four pies offered.
After dinner, Linda showed us how she makes sourdough
bread. Her young son entertained us with some Chinese yoyo
tricks.
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