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Monday, May 15, 2023

The Old Order Amish - 1959 Pennsylvania Dutch

VIDEO HERE  (32:04 minutes)

“The Old Order Amish” is a color documentary film that offers an intimate portrait of the daily lives of the Amish community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It dates to 1959 and was produced by Vincent R. Tortora - a filmmaker and author known for his work highlighting closed off communities in America from the Amish to Hasidic Jews.

Perhaps German Martin Luther Bible, other religious texts (0:41). Amish farmer operating horse-drawn plow (0:49). Sprawling fields, farm houses, tree-covered hills of Lancaster County in Southeastern, Pennsylvania (1:04). Exterior of Amish home peeks out among trees (1:50). Close-up water-wheel operated water pump (2:06). Clothes dry on clothesline (2:19). Amish woman lays traditional quilts featuring Pennsylvania Dutch design over banister, another woman enters indoor “Dutch Oven” carrying peel (2:34). Group of women peeling string beans (3:03). Father rides with son on horse-drawn cart, young boy operates horse-drawn rake, plow (3:07). Women pump water into bucket (3:42). Aerial views of young boy as he operates horse-drawn rake, plow (3:48). Women set dinner table (4:25). Post-supper family chores: men head back into field, women sweep, tend to indoor plants (4:35). Woman polishes chest of china, woman works on quilt while sitting beside display chest (5:06). Camera pans bedroom, brightly colored clothes of young girls hang from pegs on wall (5:31). Young woman ushers dairy cow across road (5:45). Family record embroidered plaque on wall (6:18). 19th century Amish family cemetery (6:26). John Schmucker grave stone (6:44). Map of Upper Leacock Township; settlement patterns of early Amish settlers (6:49). Christian Herr/Hans Herr House (6:59). Other homes, Amish construction (7:20). Horse drawn buggy passes Ressler Mill (grist mill) (7:48). Amish covered bridges (8:07). Lapp Family Farm: benches stacked for service at family home, clothes for church dry on clothesline (8:22). Buggies with waving children along rural and town streets next to parked automobiles (8:47). Prayer space set up, empty buggies parked on road outside, sound of hymns from the “Ausband,” preacher speaks, testimonies shared by congregant members - illustrations of Amish church scenes (9:10). Post-service: men, boys, children go off to fellowship (10:45). Young man courts girl by taking her on buggy ride (12:00). Women quilting together (12:18). “The singing” where young people of community socialize (13:08). Education: young children in all black walk along road to one-room school house, boys and girls of one grade sit at desks while other age groups paint, do other activities, teacher from outside community makes way around room (14:22). Kids eat lunch, recess, boys play makeshift game of baseball with stick; girls play tag (16:06). Parked buggies, horses in pen, Amish men gathered at “Public Sale” of farm equipment (18:34). Young boys play Amish Corner Ball game (19:40). Amish interaction with outside world: montage families, farmers going into town; children try on shoes at the general store (20:05). Women, men tend to stalls at local farmers markets selling cured meats, cakes, flowers from their farms (21:11). Amish women in black cloaks line up to board bus into town (22:16). Harvest time: bags of harvested grain hoisted up into Ressler Mill (22:26). Tobacco field: workers harvest tobacco plants; young boys, women collect tobacco stalks onto wooden stake/ lat while man collects completed stakes on carriage (23:00). Woman in empty corn field (24:50). Group of men, neighbors come together to tear down barn that burned down in the winter (25:22). Empty parked buggies beyond charred remains of farm equipment, 200 men come to help raise new barn (25:49). Men work on support beams, women come around with refreshments  (26:10). Near finished barn structure (29:58). Future of Amish culture, modernization and maintaining the homestead - buggy rides on highway, passes billboard for mass produced chicken (30:21). Damaged wheel, wagon of buggy in fatal accident, funeral procession (30:40).

10 comments:

  1. Born in 59 I have relatives

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  2. Shit wrong button

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  3. I was born in 59 and spent a lot of time in Lancaster, PA. My Dad's sister and her family lived there. I know the Amish did not like their picture taken something about their soul being taken or ruined.

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  4. I liked it. My family is Pennsylvania Dutch (Deutsch) 1725 immigrants from Germany and they didn't swim across the border.

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  5. Kenny…Probably not the appropriate place to make the comment, but on the off chance BCE changed his mind I went to his page and it is gone. It ain’t just pear shaped, but removed entirely. I sure hope he is ok.

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    Replies
    1. Blogger shut him down. As soon as he starts another blog, I'll post the URL.

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    2. that is good to know. kind of miss his site and daily "view" on things in the world.
      it always nice to know you not the only bad thinking kid around.
      dave in pa.

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  6. I like the Amish and Mennonites. Had a bunch of them in Va. They never bothered me and I never bothered them. I recall a mans barn burning down and all his stock killed. Within it seems a week a new barn was standing. Must have been over a hundred people showed up. Men and boys on the barn and women putting out big spreads of food. Once the barn was built it was stocked with cows, pigs, chickens what ever the man had lost. I found every Amish or Mennonite raises more stock than he needs for times like this. This stock is given to the man in need. All this free of charge. Pretty amazing people. I also love the way insurance companies don't get one thin dime.

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  7. My maternal grandfather was "Pennsylvania Dutch". His parents had come west and settled in Seattle. I was very young when he died... maybe 5... but I remember his face very well. I also met his spinster sister one time. She could have been his identical twin, so I imagine that's why she was a spinster. She gave my mother a necklace for me. It was the finest, almost thread thin gold chain, with a single fresh water pearl hanging on it.

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  8. A lot of Amish here in Ohio are driving electic bicycles. They feel it's safer than buggiies as they don't take as much space. Their bike shops do great work and don't charge an arm and a leg. We find them to be very fair business wise.

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