8 Historical Facts About How The Amish, An Entire Culture Of People Already Distanced From Society, Came To Illinois
If you’ve ever wondered how the Amish life came to the Land of Lincoln, this list of fast facts will answer your questions. Learn all about how the Amish came to America and our state.
These simple people may have had it figured out all along. Scroll on to learn more about them.
1. The very first Amish to come to Illinois settled in the state around the 1830s and built their communities in the central part of the state. These communities have mostly disbanded since.
3. The largest Amish community in the Land of Lincoln is in Arthur, Illinois, which was settled around 1864. This was about 130 years after the first Amish families started immigrating to the United States.
5. The Amish originally came to the United States, and Pennsylvania in particular, for religious freedom. To this day, they seek out places where they can live their own way and govern as they please.
8. Arcola is a similarly small town that sits right next to Arthur and is equally known for its Amish community. These twin cities are the Illinois hot spot for Amish living.
An Illinois transplant who grew up and went to school in Indiana for 22 years, Elizabeth holds a BFA in creative writing and has enjoyed traveling across the country and parts of Europe. She has visited half of the states, as well as parts of Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and regularly travels home to the Hoosier State to see friends and family. With more than five years of writing experience, Elizabeth’s articles have been featured on several websites, and her poetry and short stories have been published in multiple literary journals.
