September 17, 2023
On August 26 (Saturday), we took a walk around Shipshewana and checked out some attractions. We walked over to a very limited mall. It contains Yoder’s Department Store, Yoder’s Hardware Store, a quilt store, and a coffee store.
We went into Yoder’s Department Store. They sold clothing, material, quilt patterns, and household goods.
We wondered through Yoder’s Hardware. It was impressive. They had enormous copper kettles and cast iron kettles. They had a supply of RV parts and regular hardware items.
Bruce bought the CRC Power lube recommended by Arizona at the Riverstone factory at the hardware store.
Bruce found a chair to sit in while I walked through the quilting store. My picture of the full size quilting machine didn’t turn out.
We walked across the Farmstead Inn and Conference Center grounds on the sidewalk to the Menno-Hof.
We decided to take the tour of the Menno-Hof. The Menno-Hof presents the history of the Anabaptist.
Anabaptist means “to rebaptize.” This name was attached to a group of believers who called for voluntary adult baptisms. At the time, the state allowed only infant baptism. This movement was started in Zurich, Switzerland in 1525.
Menno-Hof combines Menno, after Menno Simions with Hof, the German word for farmstead. We were guided through the Menno-Hof by a Mennonite gentleman.
It was interesting to see the story of the Hutterites, Mennonites, and Amish history from their perspective.
I had never heard of Hutterites before.
The Hutterites are the oldest Anabaptist group. They are named after an early leader, Jacob Hutter. They originated in Moravia (Czech Republic) in 1528. They are primarily located in the United States, Canada and Japan. From the beginning, the Hutterites practiced communal living, including the common ownership of property. When a community reaches a certain size, it splits and they create a new community with 5,000 to 10,000 acres.
The Mennonites are the largest group of Anabaptist. The name comes from Menno Simons, a Dutch priest who joined the Anabaptist movement in 1536 and became its most influential leader. Mennonites are a worldwide community and are in 85 countries in Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa, North America and South America.
The Amish split from the Mennonites in 1693. The were led by Jacob Ammann. Ammann and his Swiss followers believed that their fellow Mennonites were becoming too much like the world around them. The Amish resist many of the modern conveniences. The Amish are mostly located in the United States and Canada. Most of them live in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana.
The Anabaptist faced imprisonment, torture, and execution because they called for a church free from state control.
William Penn invited the Mennonites to help create a peaceable kingdom. The Mennonites first set sail to Pennsylvania in 1683.
What surprised me most, was the Russian Mennonites. I didn’t expect it. In the 1870s, over 18,000 Mennonites migrated from Russia to the US and Canadian West. They brought wheat seed from Russia and established the great wheat belt in North America.
After touring the Menno-Hof, we walked back to the RV.
We started reviewing our check list and packing up.
We did have another spectacular sunset as well as a beautiful moon rise.
We went to bed early since we were hitching up and rolling out in the morning.
Blackberry Homestead 
We Quakers are sometimes considered part of the Anabaptist tradition, and have much in common with Mennonites and Church of the Brethren when it comes to being “peace churches”. I just returned from a Quaker gathering held at a Mennonite camp, and my financial planner is part of Everance, a Mennonite financial institution.
You have some amazing quilt photos, and I really like the quilts -I assume they aren’t fabric! – along the top of the building. I think I have to put this on my places-to-visit list!
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That might explain why William Penn invited the Mennonites to help found a peaceable kingdom.
A few buildings in the area have “quilts” along the top of the building. I rather enjoyed seeing them. I loved seeing the fabric quilts as well.
I think you would enjoy Shipshewana area. It is beautiful and there are stunning gardens around.
It was harvest season, so we also got to see teams of farm horses pulling equipment in the fields.
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Oh, as a textile addict, I want to see the quilts!! Some of what you showed is not the traditional designs I expect from the Anabaptist traditionalists.
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Very interesting post, Julia! Love the sunset and moonrise photos, too.
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Were you tempted to start a quilt (for Nox to take possession of, of course)?
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We’ll, since Nox claimed my Riverstone blanket, I wasn’t the least bit tempted to create a quilt. Years ago, I made a quilt for my Mother-in-law that she treasured. Next time I’m visiting my Father-in-law, I’ll see if I can get a picture of it.
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Autocorrect strikes again! I have no idea why it seems to want to change “well” into “we’ll” so much of the time!
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Interesting hearing a little history about the various Anabaptist groups. There are some in Minnesota too. A couple of months ago when I was shopping at Walmart there is a busload of them shopping.
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Love the photos. Thanks for sharing. So, we’re Quakers anabaptists also? And must you first be sprinkled upon as a baby to be baptized again?
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No, Quakers aren’t considered Anabaptist, but they hold a lot of beliefs in common. The Anabaptist believe that you need to make the decision to be baptized and don’t baptize babies. They didn’t baptize their babies/children which caused a lot of problems for them. They were tortured and killed in horrific ways. Yes, being baptized as a baby (water sprinkled on the baby) counted as baptism by many orthodox religions. The original Anabaptist were baptized again as adults after accepting Jesus Christ as their savior. Growing up as a Southern Baptist, sometimes adults would get rebaptized to show their recommitment to Christ, if they felt they had slipped off the path.
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Fascinating. I was able to visit a historic meeting house in Jordon’s Village UK. I think I may have stole an apple from one of the trees in the churchyard. William Penn was no doubt quaking in his nearby resting place.
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