First stop: the Bethel African Methodist Episcopalian Church in Lancaster. This church was a stop along the Underground Railroad, helping former slaves to escape to freedom. Our guide was a bit nervous and apologetic, and she held onto her notecards like a lifeline. A few times I imagined her bursting into tears, but in truth she probably wasn’t anywhere close. Despite her halting manner, she did share some gems. One of the most interesting parts of her talk centered around the coded symbols in stained glass windows and in quilts that would both tell a escaped slave whether or not it was safe to stay in the building and would point out the direction in which to head next.
Underground Railroad Quilt
On our way into Amish country, we stopped at Subway for sandwiches and then went on to the Landis Valley Farm. This was a neat, historic farm that was rescued by the family who realized how perfect the property would be as a museum to honor the old ways of the Pennsylvania Dutch (who are really of German descent: Deutsch). There were active herb and vegetable gardens, an old furnished house, a general store filled with Civil War era antiques, a blacksmithing shop, and a leather shop. We got to see the arts of metalworking and leatherworking firsthand, and the craftsmen were great guides. We learned that a blacksmith in those days would have made by hand all of the nails he used in building his shop, and we discovered that everyone wore “straight shoes” in those days. As expensive items, shoes needed to last a long time, and the ability to put a shoe on either foot made the shoe wear more evenly. We thanked our re-enactors, swept through the gift shop and boarded the bus.
Onto the land of the Amish. I’ll warn you now: taking a group of teenagers to the Pennsylvanian Amish country isn’t quite as benign as you might think.
We started by picking up a sweet little old lady who wasn’t personally a member of the Amish community, but who lived in the area. She guided us on a bus tour through absolutely gorgeous landscapes. Green, green fields of corn, and lovely white houses. Some neighborhoods were more closely packed, and we noticed lots of Amish women in their white prayer caps working in the yards. Some children played games like badminton and croquet on their lawns, and others rode scooters or pony-drawn buggies through the streets. The adults had full-sized horse-drawn buggies, and we saw quite a few. It struck me as strange to see those horses clopping down the paved roads; in my imagination, they belong on roads made of dirt or cobblestones.
Amish Landscape
We stopped at a family house and got to tour the barn and the family-owned store. The barn housed horses and dairy cows, while the store shelves were full of sewn crafts like oven mitts and “quillows” (cross between a blanket and a pillow) and books for Amish teenagers.
I know what you’re thinking: so what’s not benign about quillows? Just keep reading. We stopped next at a canning factory and store. They can everything from salsas to “peanut shmear” to jams to a special Amish favorite called “chow chow.” From the looks of it, chow chow is a mix of pickled kidney beans, green beans, and a few other vegetables. I was a little leery of trying it, but I think most of the students did. There were samples all over the store. In the back was a window through which you could watch the canning process in action.
Tasting the samples at Intercourse Canning Company
It didn’t take long for the students to notice the name of the operation. Above that window in the back of the store was a large sign: INTERCOURSE CANNING COMPANY.
I blinked after I read the sign for the first time. Yep, that’s what it said. Huh. We ended up finding out that “Intercourse” is actually the name of the town. I won’t name names, but several people bought special t-shirt and keychain souvenirs that read: “I love Intercourse” (with a heart symbol for “love”). One boy actually told us that his purchase was a gift for his mother!! Well, I don’t have to tell you that the jokes were flying. When we were reassembled in the seats, our sweet gray-haired guide scolded us with a twinkle in her eye, reminding us that the dictionary definition of “intercourse” is “communication between individuals,” and this town was built at an important crossroad. That was that.
We would experience an Amish dinner at the Plain & Fancy. They advertised the meals to be reminiscent of Thanksgiving. Big dishes of corn, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, sausage chunks, sliced beef roast, and chow chow appeared on each table, along with dinner rolls and sweet raisin bread. For dessert, we got to choose between an apple dumpling, shoo fly pie, or cake. PLUS, the waitresses set down giant bowls of ice cream on each table. After a feast like that, not even the tables with teenage boys could empty the ice cream bowls.
Dinner at the Amish restaurant, Plain & Fancy
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