Amish and Hippies ~ Lawrence County, Tennessee

Mid-October I had the pleasure of experiencing two different communities. In Lawrenceburg, there were Amish. In Smalltown, there were hippies. Both groups of people practiced a simpler way of living with peace, love and sharing in the forefront.  Amish do not use electricity where as the hippies do.  The Amish arrived shortly after World War II and have flourished in this part of Middle Tennessee.

The only photographs allowed to be taken were of the land and property… no actual pictures of the Amish people.

Imagine cutting the logs by hand with no electric equipment!  The horsepower that was used was amazing and the obedient horses never were tied to a hitching post.  It was truly a very peaceful environment.

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Summertown was just down the road apiece.  In August of 1970 The Caravan of over 200 individuals, dozens of school buses, converted bread vans, delivery trucks and a few various vehicles left San Francisco heading east.  Long story short, they arrived in Summertown, Tennessee in the summer of 1971.  It was not an easy journey which you can learn more about by purchasing “Out to Change the World: The Evolution of The Farm Community” by Douglas Stevenson which is available on Amazon.  We were intrigued by our tour guide who had lived in The Farm Community since 1977.  Her lifestyle had certainly been much different than those of us seniors paying her a visit that lovely, warm October day.

Solar panels dotted the field to provide energy for The Farm.

I left Lawrence County feeling such calmness and longing for a more loving, peaceful world.

Frannie☮️