If you were to close your eyes and stand beside one of the white gravel roads bisecting the green agricultural fields around Clark, it would not be long before you would be able to identify the rhythmic clip-clop of approaching horses. Listen closer and you would discern the accompanying clatter of iron buggy wheels crunching the stoney surface. Open your eyes, and even though you would be only 20 miles north of Columbia, it would feel as though you have been transported back to the mid-1800s. A horse is pulling a black Amish buggy, and under the canopy, someone at the end of the reins is wearing a straw hat or bonnet. In the distance you might see a man walking behind a hand-held plow being pulled by a team of draft horses. Look off to another field and a family may be gathering and arranging cornstalks into pointed shocks, as if in a Grandma Moses painting. Glance down the road and another buggy would likely be headed your way.
Clark is home to a little-known colony of the Missouri Amish. The Amish are one of America’s most distinctive religious communities, steeped in customs and traditions based on living a simple, quiet rural existence. Descendants of Swiss German Mennonites, the ancestors of the Missouri Amish were persecuted in Europe in the 1500s for their religious beliefs and for rejecting mandatory military service. In the early 1700s, the first group of the Amish immigrated to America seeking religious freedom.
A tenet of their religion is to separate themselves from the modern world, despite the world being ever-changing, and this allows them to maintain their faith.
“A collection of written guidelines known as the Ordnung, a German word for ‘order,’ outlines how the Clark Amish live their lives,” says Erik Wesner, an expert on the Amish in America and the founder and editor of the Amish America website. “Following the Ordnung demonstrates a spirit of humility and commitment to upholding the church community.”
Some of the guidelines the Amish follow in Clark are well-known and recognizable. For example, the plain way they dress is often the first thing that identifies the Amish. Their fashion is simple, void of patterns, and modest. Their clothing is generally made at home using fabric in neutral shades of purple, blue, brown, gray, and black, meant to demonstrate their commitment to the community instead of themselves.
As a result, the Amish are often referred to as the “plain people.” “The Clark Amish travel by horse and buggy because they feel it promotes a slow pace of life and believes automobiles could pull the community apart,” Erik says. “For similar reasons, they reject living in a town, preferring a remote rural setting.”
Amish Facts of Life: Like Amish communities throughout the United States, Clark is divided into districts, each made up of about 20 families who are led by a bishop who has been selected by the community. In Clark, there are ten districts, with each family having five to nine children.
Electricity is shunned, as they believe public power grids will tie them too closely to the rest of the outside world. Where power is needed, it is supplied by battery, propane, or diesel fuel.
“Despite their adherence to a simple lifestyle, the modern world puts tremendous pressure on the Clark community,” Erik continues. “It is also difficult for an Amish business to function without adopting some things most people today take for granted, such as telephones.”
However, the acceptance of the use of a phone varies by each Amish settlement and how their leader, known as the bishop, interprets the Ordnung. Because there is no centralized church structure, each settlement makes its own rules.
In Clark, the bishop’s interpretation of what is allowed sets them apart as an old-order Amish sect, which means the bishop follows a strict interpretation of the Ordnung. Other Amish settlements that adhere to a less stringent interpretation of the Ordnung are known as the new order Amish.
According to Charlie King, who does business with many of the Clark Amish families, an example of how bishops interpret the Ordnung differently can be seen between the lifestyles of the Amish in Clark and those in a settlement in Centralia, just 20 miles east.
“Phones are allowed at the property line of a residence in Centralia, while at Clark, bishops say phones are only allowed in phone shacks about a mile from most homes. In Centralia, answering machines and caller ID are allowed but not in Clark,” Charlie says.
“The rules are constantly in flux,” Charlie continues. “I used to have a phone on a battery pack in my truck I let the Clark Amish use. Then the bishops decided that was too convenient and decided phones could only be used at a phone shack.”
Often Charlie says he relays a message to the Amish to be at a phone shack, also known as a phone shanty, at a certain time to receive a call from someone who wants to talk to them.
Amish Facts of Life: Men wear a full beard but no mustache, which is thought to look too militaristic and is a reminder of when Amish men were persecuted for not joining the army.
A Mini Nation
In addition to being old order Amish, the community in Clark is different from other Amish communities in two ways. Instead of having non-Amish landowners scattered among the Amish farms, for about a fifteen square mile section of rural Randolph County, every farm is owned and inhabited by an Amish family. Together, the farms almost appear to be a separate mini-nation.
“I have been in Amish settlements all over the country, and this is the tightest knit community I have ever seen,” Charlie reports.
Also notable is the fact that there are no Amish-themed tourist businesses, organized tours of Amish farms, or signs advertising Amish furniture or crafts for sale. In many Amish communities, these types of attractions are common, such as in Jamesport in northwestern Missouri.
The Clark community is truly its own enclave, little visited or even known about by the residents of larger nearby Missouri towns, let alone from other parts of the state.
The Clark Produce Auction
While some in the Clark community work outside the settlement in construction or trades, like roofing, or have home-based furniture-making businesses, many continue to work as farmers, selling their crops. The Clark Produce Auction is a produce outlet, one of only a few produce auctions in Missouri. Auctions are held April through the end of October every Tuesday and Friday.
On auction day before the sale begins, horse-drawn wagons begin to arrive with loads of in-season produce, just as they might have done in the 1800s.
As each farmer unloads their crops, a social event begins to take place. Barefoot Amish children play on the concrete barn f loor, while Amish men dressed in solid color shirts of different hues congregate among themselves in small groups, waiting for their produce to be sold at auction.
On the auction wall, a handwritten sign reads: “Please dress modestly.” Nearby, another sign informs that only cash or an open line of credit are accepted as payment.
A third sign lists the permanently assigned names within the community and their auction numbers, which reveals that out of the 200 numbers, over half belong to families with the same surnames. There are 43 numbers assigned to different families with the surname Bontrager, 24 to Gingerich, 22 to Miller, and 15 to Yoder.
The auction barn does not have a phone, and Charlie King, who is not Amish, is the coordinator for buyers and sellers. “All the produce is grown within 15 miles of the auction,” he says, “and crops are harvested just 24 hours before they are sold.”
While there are small lots of goods available to individual buyers, most of the produce goes to large food distributors and grocery chains based in St. Louis and Kansas City. But some goods are purchased by local restaurants and individuals operating roadside food stands.
In the fall, the Clark Produce Auction offers pumpkins, zucchini, many varieties of squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, gords, mums, and other fall cole crops. At spring auctions, flowers and tomatoes grown in greenhouses are sold. Row crops appear in late June and include strawberries, cucumbers, pickles, okra, watermelon, cantaloupe, sweet corn, green beans, and peppers. Once in the spring and again in the fall, the Clark Produce Auction conducts a craft auction (at 9:30 AM September 28th this year). “I’d say 95% of the items for sale are made in Clark,” Charlie says. “Quilts, furniture—both wooden and poly—purple martin bird houses, and handmade baskets are most of what is offered.”
Amish Facts of Life: Church services are held in a different home every other Sunday. The practice originated when the Amish were persecuted in Europe, and they moved services into private homes to draw less attention to their religion.
Amish Stores
Since Clark is isolated in the countryside and too far for a horse to travel—20 miles to Columbia or 15 miles to Moberly—community stores are a necessity. But, these stores are different from the “English” (the Amish word for a non-Amish person) convenience stores.
In Clark they are referred to as “salvage” stores, meaning they sell hard goods sometimes described as being in the “scratch and dent” category. Boxes may be dented, and packaged food is generally just past the “best used by” date. As a result, prices are less expensive than elsewhere.
Amish stores also stock items that will not require the use of electricity, such as kerosene lamps, as well as canning supplies and clotheslines.
In Clark, some store names include Lefty’s Dry Goods, Terry’s Country Store, and Lakeview Salvage.
For more necessities not found in a local store, Clark families hire a driver to take them to a big-box store like Walmart, generally on a once-a-month schedule.
Amish Facts of Life: The Amish do not own televisions or radios, and they do not join the military or attend school after the eighth grade.
History of the Amish in Missouri: The Amish began migrating to Missouri in the mid-1800s, before the Civil War. Starting in the 1850s, there was a sporadic Amish presence that continued into the 1930s, but all pre-World War II enclaves are now extinct. “There are a number of reasons those early Missouri communities no longer exist,” says Erik Wesner, an expert on the Amish and editor of the Amish in America website. “Crop failures, financial losses during the Civil War, lack of congregational growth, and unwelcoming neighbors all played a part.” Today, however, according to a 2023 study from the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies that was undertaken by Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, the number of Amish in Missouri is growing at a rapid pace. “Just since 2018, Missouri’s Amish population has grown by nearly 30%, while the overall Amish growth rate in the United States is closer to 17%,” Erik reports. “The latest study shows Missouri is home to a total of 15,520 Amish residents, which ranks the state seventh out of all states. Nationwide, the Amish population today is 378,190. “In the past 10 years, Missouri has seen at least 23 new Amish communities,” Erik continues, adding that some colonies have been settled by Amish from within the state, while others have been founded by those arriving from out-of-state. “No doubt, one factor making Missouri popular is land available at reasonable prices in rural areas, like Clark. The cost of land in eastern states can be much higher,” he says. Also, according to Erik, some Amish get tired of the larger and crowded settlements and prefer to move to less busy areas in states like Missouri where there is a slower pace of life. Some communities in Ohio and Pennsylvania number as many as 40,000 people. “Others may arrive from communities that are more progressive than what they are comfortable with. Old order settlements like Clark, which maintain more traditional practices, will appeal to a certain group of Amish,” Erik continues. “These reasons, as well as the Amish typically having large families, all likely factor into Missouri’s recent above-average Amish growth.”
My Visit to Clark
It is rare to pass a buggy on the road in Clark without having the occupant offer a friendly wave. However, residents will rarely initiate a conversation or even make eye contact if you are standing side by side with them in one of the community stores or at the produce auction. But, if you ask a question or make a comment, usually conversation flows easily.
Several years ago, I visited Clark, and when I passed Esrah Bontrager standing by his mailbox, I took the opportunity to ask where the nearest store was just to make conversation.
After he gave me directions, he asked if my Prius was one of “those new kinds of cars.” I explained that it was and how it used gasoline and a battery and showed him the computer generated map on the screen on the dashboard. When I asked, “What do you think?” His one-word answer was “scary.”
When I stopped by again recently, Esrah was standing behind two draft horses ready to cut hay in his field. “I’m sorry but right now I need to get the hay mowed and can’t talk,” he said as he finished hitching his horses and headed out to the field. “My son is in the shop, though,” he said, pointing to a large building with a black and white sign reading, “Buckeye’s Cabinets.” I ventured inside to talk to Esrah’s son Eric, who was easy to engage in conversation. We took turns asking questions of each other. “Are you German?” he asked. “Your face looks German.” He continued, “I started working for someone making buggies but taught myself how to make cabinets and furniture. There is more money in making furniture.”
“Where do you buy your buggies?” I asked and learned there was one buggy maker in the community. Eric told me there were five adult children in his family and that they owned 10 horses to pull the buggies, two more for riding, and four workhorses to pull the plows. When I asked where they got their horses, after a short pause and with a sly smile on his face, he said, “from other horses.”
Amish Facts of Life: Clark is known as an old order Amish settlement. The strictest Amish are the Swartzentruber sect. They allow no phone use whatsoever and do not allow members to be driven anywhere in a car except in an emergency. Also forbidden are running water and upholstered furniture in their homes.
Language
Like all the Amish in Clark, Eric speaks with an accent, because English is not their first language. Among themselves they converse in a dialect of German known as Pennsylvania Dutch. Just like their dress and customs that date back hundreds of years, Pennsylvania Dutch was the language used by the Amish immigrants who first settled in Pennsylvania in the 18th to 19th centuries.
However, it’s a bit different from the modern German dialects spoken in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland today, because over hundreds of years, the language has evolved and adopted other traits.
A common conundrum is why the Amish form of German is known as Pennsylvania Dutch and not simply German. It is because the German word for the German language is “Deutsch,” which was commonly mistaken for Dutch in colonial America when the Amish arrived.
The Yoders and Bontragers
While the Amish speak in Pennsylvania Dutch among themselves, written communication is in English. Just as they did in 1860, the Amish in Clark keep in touch with relatives and friends in distant communities through handwritten letters and through The Budget, a newspaper published weekly since 1890 in Sugarcreek, Ohio. It doesn’t have an online version, but it does offer the newspaper through the mail for subscribers. The Budget has no resemblance to any other paper and is far from being a traditional source of breaking news.
Instead, the content is always personal and local and devoid of photos. Each issue is about 36 pages and consists of columns of “small talk” written and sent weekly to the newspaper from 1,200 “scribes” who are located in Amish settlements across the nation. Each scribe, selected by community leaders, represents about 20 families.
“I like to say we have more reporters than The New York Times,” says Milo Miller, the publisher. “They document local community events such as baptisms, weddings, births, and funerals, as well as information on church attendance, visitors, weather, illnesses, agricultural happenings, and school events.”
While the newspaper industry is losing ground to mainstream America, Milo’s confidence in The Budget doesn’t waver. “I honestly think, and it’s nothing I’ve done, this will be the last newspaper standing,” Milo says.
Published in the same building in Sugarcreek since 1914, a cadre of loyal non-Amish typesetters transcribe the scribes’ handwritten letters into a computer program before the paper goes to press every Monday, when 20,000 copies are printed.
“We need to substitute some words for German words some scribes mix in, but we keep the tone of the letter,” says Milo. “People in Clark write differently than those in Maine, for example.”
In bold print, each column headline displays only the name of the community and state the scribe is writing from, followed by 50 to 500 words of text.
“There is something invigorating about floating the river in the coolness of the morning with your sons and friends. Numerous fish were caught, some swimming done, and a sunburn brought along home. Deer were seen … helping make the day complete. That’s it from this hollow,” Moses and Betty Eicher from Harwood wrote in an August 31, 2022 edition of The Budget.
Amish Facts of Life: Some communities outside Missouri use gray, brown, white, or even yellow as their buggy color of choice.
If you Visit Amish Country in Missouri: › Do not ask an Amish person to pose for a photo. They view pictures of themselves as promoting their own vanity. › Dress conservatively. Clothing like shorts or low-cut dresses are viewed unfavorably. › Drive safely around buggies, which are traveling about eight miles per hour. Do not pass on blind curves or cut off the horse when passing. Honking can startle a horse, making it unsafe for the occupants inside the buggy. › Take cash. Amish businesses do not take credit cards, and there will not be an ATM. › Businesses are closed on Sundays and sometimes on Thursdays. › The Clark Produce Auction is held every Tuesday and Friday at 2048 Highway Y, in Clark, from mid-April through the end of October. For more information check the website: AgEBB. missouri.edu/hort/ auction/clark.htm. › Download a map of Clark at Moberly .com/clarkamish community/.
This article was originally published in the October 2024 edition of Missouri Life magazine.
