Photos From an Old Booklet Give a Rare Glimpse Into the Lives of the Amish in Rockome Gardens in the 1950s

These interesting photos are excerpted from an old booklet for Rockome Gardens, entitled “Your Visit With the Amish in the Arthur and Arcola Area”. The pages cover the history and culture of the Amish, along with a number of fascinating black-and-white photos of the Arthur community.

Rockome is an attraction in and of itself, but no doubt benefits from its close proximity to the large Arthur Amish community, which the creator of this booklet certainly recognized. This publication gives us an interesting look at how the Amish were presented to a tourist audience decades ago.

“Amish me wear their hair long in the familiar “Dutch Bob” being received here at the hands of his wife.”

“Two Amish men enjoy a visit on the streets in Arthur.”

“An Amish family strolls along the business section of Arthur on a shopping trip into town.”

“A scene along State Route 133 where the state maintains a road for “Old Dobbin” as well as for the modern automobile.”

“A view of the Amish hitch racks in Arthur.”

“A group of Amish boys pose following a baseball game, their favorite sport at school.”

“Amish students on the porch of a rural school.”

“A few of the Amish work off of the farm as this man at Rockome Gardens.”

(via Amish America)