Amish country in the south

The rolling farm country in the south of Hillsdale County — around Camden, Reading, and North Adams — is home to several Amish communities. The oldest took root near Camden back in 1956. A few families came up from northern Indiana that year. They were looking for cheaper farmland and a quieter, more traditional life. Others followed over the years. A newer settlement started near North Adams in 2010.

These are mostly Swiss Amish, a conservative branch with roots in the Amish settlements of Adams and Allen Counties, Indiana. You can spot the Swiss traditions on the back roads. Look for open-topped buggies rather than the closed kind. Their cemeteries have plain wooden grave markers, too.

For someone moving here, the practical part is the roads. You’ll share the country roads with horse-drawn buggies. So slow down and pass with plenty of care. Take extra care on hills, on curves, and at dusk, when a dark buggy is hard to see. And watch for the farm stands, bakeries, and small shops tucked along the back roads. They’re one of the real pleasures of living out this way.