An Amish garage: is there more to it that the obvious?

The Amish people are a religious sect which had originated from the Anabaptists, a Christian reformist movement that had existed in Europe in the 16th century. They arrived to the United States in mid-18th century, and today more than 250,000 of them live the country. The majority is concentrated in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. Amish communities are also present in Canada and Central America.

What makes the Amish special is their lifestyle, which is heavily based on a list of rules called Ordnung (meaning order or discipline in German) and which can slightly vary from one community to another. Ordnung outlines the basic dos and don’ts, regulating almost all aspects of their life including dress code, leisure, farming, and even means transport. Yes, that’s right, even the means of transport are strictly regulated with the aim of keeping the community close together. To avoid the risk of people moving too far away from their parish – something that would

inevitably weaken traditionally strong social bonds – some versions of the Ordnung forbid the Amish to drive cars, tractors or any advanced form of transport. Thus, those following the forbidding version of the rules are bound to use horses and horse-drawn buggies to cultivate their land and move around.

This brings us to the very essence of our topic – the Amish garages, which are in fact barns, and are logically one of the crucial parts of their farms. They serve for sheltering horses, storing the hay and other necessities, and more. But apart from the obvious, practical function usually served by barns, these misleadingly simple constructions have a higher social importance on a communal level.

To raise a barn – a lengthy process which requires much labor, an Amish farmer is traditionally not allowed to hire workers, but is expected to rely on his community members for assistance. This practice is based on the Christian principle of mutual aid, and was very common in the 18th and 19th centuries. It continues to be preformed today, albeit less frequently as nowadays some Amish people use very basic machinery to build barns.

In places where barn raising continues to take place, it is an important way of strengthening the feeling of belonging and interdependence within a community. All male members who are able to work are supposed to take part in the construction, and unjustified failure to do so carries social consequences. Members may even provide materials and cattle for free. One or a few men with most experience are chosen to lead the project, and there is a clear division of responsibilities. Women take care that the workers are well fed and have water, while the young ones watch and assist with less physically demanding tasks.

The whole process is quite long and involves extensive preparation prior to the start of construction works – entailing prolonged

periods of close socializing and cooperation with other members of one’s community.

The Amish community refers to this kind of joint communal projects as frolics’, and there are many more similar activities that serve the same social purpose of working collectively towards a common goal – preservation of close ties and traditions of an old-lasting community.

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