Ohio's Amish Country

We moved from Berlin Center, Ohio, to the village of Berlin; which is identified with the Amish and Mennonite people of Ohio.

The village of Berlin was laid out in 1816, and is the oldest existing village in Holmes County. John Swigert, a native of Berlin, Germany arranged for 108 lots to be laid out along an east and west street and a north and south street. Folklore suggests that Swigert chose the site of Berlin because its elevation, the highest in Holmes County, made its defense more feasible in case of an attack by Indians.

We went to the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center for an interpretive tour of Behault (We're told that means keep or remember.), a stunning 265-ft circular mural depicting Amish & Mennonite history. The tour featured a 30-minute presentation of the elements of history depicted in the mural.

The Heritage Center gift shop had oodles of baskets for sale--all made in the area.

From Ohio after Cleveland

Then we loaded our bikes into the truck and drove to the town of Millersburg to a point where we could pick up the the Holmes County Trail. We biked a few miles north from Millersburg and back. This multi-purpose trail covers several miles. One 8-foot lane of is paved with asphalt for biking. The other lane is paved with something called "chip and seal" for horse-drawn vehicles and horseback riding. The different lanes are identified by signs posted every so often along the way.

From Ohio after Cleveland

But the horses have done a good job of their own identifying which lane is theirs.

From Ohio after Cleveland

This trail is a Rails-to-Trails project. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a nonprofit organization working to preserve unused rail corridors by turning them into recreational trails. Their mission is to create a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors. The goal is building healthier places for healthier people.


We ended the day with dinner in Berlin at the Boyd & Wurthmann restaurant. This is a family-owned business that prides itself on being "where the locals eat." They advertise that they have Amish cooks turning out homestyle food, including a large variety of homemade pies. We split a veal parmesan entree and wrapped up the meal with pie and ice cream. We tried the peach (Lee) and apple (ken) pies. Both were great!