Barn raising

The term "barn raising" describes the construction of barns since the 18th and 19th centuries in rural North America (U.S. and Canada). In the past, a barn was often the first, largest, and most costly structure built by a family who settled in a new area. Barns were essential structures for storage of hay and keeping of horses and cattle, which in those days were an inseparable part of farming. The tradition of "barn raising" continues, more or less unchanged, in some Amish and Old Order Mennonite communities, particularly in Ohio, I ...

Including:

• Barn raising - The event
• Barn raising - Social framework
• Barn raising - Contrast with church construction
• Barn raising - End of an era
• Barn raising - Barn raising in fiction
• Barn raising - Barn raising as a metaphor for online communities

Read more here: » Barn raising: Encyclopedia - Barn raising

A barn raising is a one- or two-day event during which a community comes together to assemble a barn for one of its households. A certain amount of preparation is done beforehand. Lumber and hardware are laid in, plans are made, ground is cleared, and tradesmen are hired. Materials are purchased or traded for by the family who will own the barn once it is complete. Generally, participation is mandatory for community members. These participants are not paid. All able-bodied members of the community are expected to attend. Failur ...

See also:

Barn raising, Barn raising - The event, Barn raising - Social framework, Barn raising - Contrast with church construction, Barn raising - End of an era, Barn raising - Barn raising in fiction, Barn raising - Barn raising as a metaphor for online communities

Read more here: » Barn raising: Encyclopedia II - Barn raising - The event

The Amish are a denomination of Anabaptists noted for their restrictions on the use of modern devices such as automobiles and electricity. The Amish are a tight-knit religious group, descending predominantly from Swiss German immigrants. Most Amish at home speak a distinctive High German dialect (Deitsch or "Pennsylvania Dutch)", although the so-called "Swiss Amish" speak an Alemannic dialect that they call "Swiss". The Amish are just one group of the "Pennsylvania Dutch", who are generally of German descent, the word Dutch< ...

Including:

• Amish - History
• Amish - Amish split in two
• Amish - Lifestyle
• Amish - Language
• Amish - Dress
• Amish - Other
• Amish - Status
• Amish - Other

Read more here: » Amish: Encyclopedia - Amish

A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house animals or store vehicles, and is often found on a farm. On older style barns, the upper area was used to store hay and sometimes grain. This is called the mow. A large door at the top one of the ends of the barn opened up so hay could be put in the mow. The hay was hoisted into the barn by a system containing pulleys and a trolley that ra ...

Read more here: » Barn building: Encyclopedia - Barn building

Amish lifestyle is dictated by the Ordnung of the community. Ordnung differ from community to community, and, within a community, from district to district. What is acceptable in one community may not be acceptable in another. No résumé of Amish lifestyle can be totally adequate because there are few generalities that are true for all Amish. Amish - Modern technology. Many Amish, especially those of the Old Order, are renowned for their avoidance of modern technologies. The avoidance of items such ...

See also:

Amish, Amish - History, Amish - Amish split in two, Amish - Lifestyle, Amish - Modern technology, Amish - Language, Amish - Dress, Amish - Other, Amish - Status, Amish - Other

Read more here: » Amish: Encyclopedia II - Amish - Lifestyle

People who are not well acquainted with Mormonism and the Amish sometimes confuse the two, despite the vast differences between them. These misconceptions can sometimes be perpetuated in the mass media. For example, the film Witness is centered on an Amish community. However, the Spanish and French versions of this film mistranslated "Amish" as "Mormon". Roseanne Barr has played on this misconception by referring to Mormons as "Nazi Amish". The 2002 documentary The Devil's Playground is another film about the Amish community, focusing on the ...

See also:

Amish, Amish - History, Amish - Amish split in two, Amish - Lifestyle, Amish - Modern technology, Amish - Language, Amish - Dress, Amish - Other, Amish - Status, Amish - Other

Read more here: » Amish: Encyclopedia II - Amish - Other

The Amish reside in close-knit communities in 22 states of the United States as well as Ontario, Canada. The largest concentrations of Amish in the United States are in Holmes County, Ohio and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. By state, the largest Amish population is in Ohio, and the second largest in Pennsylvania. There are an estimated 228,000 Amish in the United States in all groups, and another 1500 in Ontario, Canada. Some Beachy Amish have relocated to Central America in an attempt to remove themselves from the influences of modern society, including a sizable sett ...

See also:

Amish, Amish - History, Amish - Amish split in two, Amish - Lifestyle, Amish - Modern technology, Amish - Language, Amish - Dress, Amish - Other, Amish - Status, Amish - Other

Read more here: » Amish: Encyclopedia II - Amish - Status

Most Amish communities that were established in North America did not ultimately retain their Amish identity. In fact, many more of the early communities eventually lost their Amish identity and gradually took on a Mennonite identity. The original major split that would result in the loss of identity occurred during the 1860s, during which decade were held conferences in Wayne County, Ohio, concerning how the Amish shoul ...

See also:

Amish, Amish - History, Amish - Amish split in two, Amish - Lifestyle, Amish - Modern technology, Amish - Language, Amish - Dress, Amish - Other, Amish - Status, Amish - Other

Read more here: » Amish: Encyclopedia II - Amish - Amish split in two

Like the Mennonites, the Amish are descendants of the Swiss Anabaptists (1525). The Swiss Anabaptists, called the "Swiss Brethren", had their origins with Felix Manz and Conrad Grebel. The name "Mennonite" was applied later and came from Menno Simons (circa 1496–1561), who was an Anabaptist leader in the Rhein Lowlands. Simons was a Dutch Roman Catholic priest who converted to Anabaptism in 1536 and was baptized by Obbe Philips after renouncing his Catholic faith and office. He was a leader in the Lowland Anabaptist communities, but his influence re ...

See also:

Amish, Amish - History, Amish - Amish split in two, Amish - Lifestyle, Amish - Modern technology, Amish - Language, Amish - Dress, Amish - Other, Amish - Status, Amish - Other

Read more here: » Amish: Encyclopedia II - Amish - History

Barn raising as a method of providing construction labor had become rare by the close of the 19th century. By that time, most frontier communities already had barns and those that did not were constructing them using hired labor. Mennonite and Amish communities carried on the tradition, however, and continue to do so to this day. Group construction by volunteers enjoyed something of a resurgence during the 1970s, when houses, sheds, and barn-shaped structures were constructed for all manner of purposes except, of course, the keeping o ...

See also:

Barn raising, Barn raising - The event, Barn raising - Social framework, Barn raising - Contrast with church construction, Barn raising - End of an era, Barn raising - Barn raising in fiction, Barn raising - Barn raising as a metaphor for online communities

Read more here: » Barn raising: Encyclopedia II - Barn raising - End of an era

In earlier American rural life, communities raised barns because many hands were required. In areas that were sparsely settled or on the edge of the frontier, it was not possible to hire carpenters or other tradesmen to build a barn. The harsher winters gave more urgency to the matter of barn construction than was present in the relatively milder climate in Europe. Similar conditions have given rise to alike in ...

See also:

Barn raising, Barn raising - The event, Barn raising - Social framework, Barn raising - Contrast with church construction, Barn raising - End of an era, Barn raising - Barn raising in fiction, Barn raising - Barn raising as a metaphor for online communities

Read more here: » Barn raising: Encyclopedia II - Barn raising - Social framework