2 questions about Lehigh Valley & Eastern PA (Philadelphia, Lancaster: houses, Mennonites)

[chasekratzer]

My first question is, can you see the skyline of Philadelphia from anywhere in the lehigh valley?

My second question is, what towns/counties in PA have an Amish population? Does the lehigh valley have an Amish population?

[toobusytoday]

No you cannot see Philly from here. It's an hours drive away. Lots of hills, woods and houses between here and there. And no, there are no Amish people here at all. The closest group is in western Berks county.

[PacoMartin]

Amish in Pennsylvania recently counted as 63,785 with Lancaster County's settlement of 31,020 (or almost half). So there are only small conclaves in the rest of the state.

"Most of the Amish left Berks County by 1820 , but a small settlement is returning to the northwest corner.

Pennsylvania German ( Pennsylvania Deitsch, usually called Pennsylvania Dutch) live in the Lehigh Valley, but they are more likely to be German Reformed, Moravian, Amish, Mennonite, and other German Christian sects and not Amish.

The Amish are followers of the church established by Jakob Ammann (12 February 1644 – between 1712 and 1730).

[CarbonCountyLiving]

There are certainly plenty of Amish around Kutztown, even if most of them left Berks County. You can see them riding through town often in their buggies.

Kutztown isn't really considered the Lehigh Valley but it's close.

There is a small Mennonite population in Lehigh Township, Northampton County.

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by CarbonCountyLiving

There are certainly plenty of Amish around Kutztown, even if most of them left Berks County. You can see them riding through town often in their buggies.

Kutztown isn't really considered the Lehigh Valley but it's close.

There is a small Mennonite population in Lehigh Township, Northampton County.

There are tons of Mennonites here, but they are not old order Mennonites with horse and buggies, they dress like the general population. I can think of four Mennonite churches within 15 minutes of me.

Kutztown is just what I was thinking of, but until I looked at a map I didn't realize that it was more in North central Berks county and not the western edge.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

There are tons of Mennonites here, but they are not old order Mennonites with horse and buggies, they dress like the general population.

Amish are closely related to Mennonites. From what I have seen the churches eschew ornamentation and abstinence from strong spirits is the preference.

Huldrych Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland.
Martin Luther, (10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation.

On February 28, 1681, Charles II granted a land charter to William Penn to repay a debt owed to William's father, Admiral William Penn. Pennsylvania openly welcomed all of the members of the sects from these two movements.

[toobusytoday]

Not disagreeing with you Paco, but there are different orders, or varieties of Mennonites just like there are Amish. When I lived in upstate NY I worked with old order Mennonites that drove horse and buggies and whom most people took to be Amish. In our area, however, the Mennonites are as normal as Lutherans. Here are websites of local Mennonite churches in Quakertown: http://www.westswamp.org/ and East Swamp Church.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

Not disagreeing with you Paco, but there are different orders, or varieties of Mennonites just like there are Amish.

I understand. But all those Swiss - Palatinate orders were interrelated in the 15th and 16th centuries. Even the Mennonites that embrace modern technology in their daily lives still hold to plain and simple sanctuaries.

Pope Julius II in 1505 made a decision to demolish the ancient basilica of St. Peter and replace it with a monumental structure. The next 120 years resulted in the present building. To finance the building of St. Peter's Basilica was the granting of indulgences in return for contributions.

Martin Luthur nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg on 31 October 1517.

In reaction to the high art in St Paters, and the indulgences used to finance it, many of the german movements adopted very simple ornamentation for their churches.

[CarbonCountyLiving]

The Mennonites to whom I am referring most certainly do dress in traditional clothing. They don't use horse and buggies though.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by CarbonCountyLiving

The Mennonites to whom I am referring most certainly do dress in traditional clothing. They don't use horse and buggies though.

Perhaps this will help

Originally Posted by Whitehall Mennonite church

Whitehall Mennonite Church
We find that many people asking about Mennonites are actually thinking of the Amish or Old Order Mennonites.

Mennonites and Amish come from a Protestant tradition known as Anabaptism (meaning to be baptized again) begun in the 16th century. The first Anabaptists separated from the state church because of their belief that a relationship with Christ is an adult choice and baptism must come out of an adult decision to follow Christ in every aspect of life. At that time, infant baptism was the accepted practice.