Who are the Amish who build RVs?

Northern Indiana is the undisputed capitol of RV manufacturing. It is also the home to many Mennonite and Amish communities who first migrated to Indiana in 1841. The Mennonites have incorporated themselves into the modern world while the Amish have been slower to change. In Amish country you frequently see horse drawn buggies sharing the road with modern automobiles. You also see men with beards but no mustache wearing black pants with suspenders. They are always seen in public wearing black or straw hats as has been their custom since the beginning of their movement. Women in modest dresses without buttons use straight pins to hold it all together. Their white and black caps cover their heads in obedience to Scripture. Not allowed to use electric power from power lines they have adapted by learning to use pneumatic powered appliances, generators and propane.The Amish are not Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox but are Christ followers given the name “Anabaptist” which means “to rebaptize.” They received this name in 16th-century Europe based on their teaching that only consenting adults should be administered the rite of water baptism. There are over 60 different Anabaptist groups each with it’s own distinctive character and rules for living making it difficult to generalize about them as a group. The Amish are undisputed craftsmen who make some of the finest furniture in the world. Times have changed and it is no longer feasible to make a living from small family farms alone so many of the Amish have taken jobs in the RV manufacturing industry.

If you want to learn more about their way of life a visit to Menno Hof in Shipshewana, Indiana will be time well spent. Here you will see and hear the Amish - Mennonite story. You will have all your questions answered and leave with a new appreciation for their way of life. Visit their website here: Menno Hof.

You may also want to visit a new attraction in Amish country called the “Quilt Gardens Tour.” It’s free (except for your expenditure for fuel) and it packs 60,000 blooms into 12 gigantic gardens creating super-sized quilt-like murals. Find more information about this tour here: Quilt Gardens Tour.

Northern Indiana is filled with beautiful Amish homes and gardens. We stopped at a bakery and candy shop and watched them making nut-brittle using pneumatic powered conveyor belts and mixers. This is great stuff sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. Many Amish homes are also businesses selling Amish made goods from furniture, baskets and quilts to recipe books and more. As a group I found them to be very friendly and happy to answer any questions about their lifestyle.While you’re in the neighborhood take advantage of the many RV plant tours available to the public. Out meeting our diverse and colorful American people one state at a time - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing