The Big Valley

| Amy

For those of you who remember the TV show with Hoss and Little Joe, no, I haven’t forgotten what this blog is about. I’m talking about Big Valley, PA. Also known as Kishacoquillas Valley or Kish Valley. Kish Valley  is home to the second largest Amish settlement in Pennsylvania, with Lancaster County being the first. But in terms of uniqueness, the Valley wins hands down.

big valley pa meme

Over the course of the next few months, I’ll be blogging about Kish Valley and all the interesting things I learned while I visited there. Here are a few of the beautiful pictures I took last month. Enjoy!

kish valley 15

Here’s me and Stace on the top of Jacks Mountain. Down below you can see the Valley. Incredibly beautiful!

Kish valley 17

The Valley from the top of Jacks Mountain.

Kish valley 1 peights store

Peight’s Store in the Valley.

Kish valley 27

“Byler Amish” farm. The Valley is home to twelve different sects of Amish and Mennonites, the Byler Amish among them. (more on the Byler Amish later.)

KV black buggy 5

“Peachey” or “Renno Amish” buggy. They go by either name and are the most progressive of the Valley Amish, though that’s not saying a great deal. They are still conservative Old Order Amish. More on the Peachey Amish later. (Yes, I prefer calling them by this name since almost every mailbox we passed had the name ‘Peachey’ on it.)

KV wildflowers

These beautiful purple wildflowers were all over the Valley. I loved seeing them against the weather-worn fence posts.

KV store 1

A road-side store. This one was closed the first day we were there, but open the second. Two very helpful Mennonite women worked there and gave us some great information about the local Amish. Stacey and I bought a jar of church pickles, some corn on the cob, and a couple of tomatoes. Yummy!

Kish valley 38

A Valley farm. So picturesque!

Kish valley 47

Oh, you know how I love cows!

Well, that’s the last picture for this post. Which one is your favorite? Be sure to leave a comment. At the end of the month, everyone who commented will have their name put in a drawing to win a copy of one of my books!

Be watching for more about the Valley Amish, along with news about the new mystery series, updates on the new romance series, and other great info about the Amish in general!

Thanks for reading!

amy sig (1)

 

sign up blog

 

 

66 thoughts on “The Big Valley”

  1. I loved all the pictures, but I will choose the one with you and Stace in it. So glad I got to meet you when you where in Mifflin County. Enjoyed talking with you and Stace.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      2. I have them! 🙂 Send me an email (you can use the contact me form on this blog) and I’ll send them over to you!! 🙂

        Like

  4. Beautiful area. Glad you two had a great visit. I went to a Rachel’s Country Store somewhere (it was Amish) one time but not sure where it was. PA has some pretty areas. Just enjoy driving around. Cows were cute! Always fun to see you and Stacey.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. All the pictures were great, but, I love the one with the buggy the most. I just love seeing horse and buggies. How far away is Big Valley from Lancaster County?

    Like

    Reply

    1. I love the buggies too! And I have more pictures of those to come. Kish Valley is about 2 hours from Lancaster. 🙂 well worth the drive.

      Like

      Reply

  7. Loved all the pictures–but if you twisted my arm 🙂 I would say any of the ones that are facing the mountain. Just something about the mountains…..
    I enjoyed meeting you girls and sharing a meal in Lititz then a little time at Aaron’s Bookstore.
    Maybe again someday 🙂

    PS Love the simplicity of the flowers against the fence.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  12. I love the pictures but i think you’ve got your tv shows mixed up! Little Joe and Haus are not from The Big Valley they are from Bonanza! I love both of those shows!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. Looks like it was a wonderful trip!!! Glad u guys had s great time!!! God Bless You All!!! I could really use one of your books… While I am healing…was in the hospital for a while too!!! Hope to stay out of there for a bit!!!

    Like

    Reply

  14. Love the farm and cow pictures! I was raised in a Mennonite family on a farm, so it brings back a lot of great memories. I am especially fond of cows and…pigs!!! And yeah, I love pig stomach! It was great meeting you and Stacey at the Cupboard in Lititz for supper and then going to Aaron’s. Hope you come back again!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  27. I live in PA and have never visited this area. We usually go to Lancaster County. Time to reset the GPS and talk the hubby into a road trip. Love the photos especially the cow.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  29. Thanks, Maxie! I understand about the traveling. My next series–my new Amish mystery series is set in Kish Valley so hopefully you can visit in the books. 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  30. I loved all the beautiful pictures of The Big Valley. I would love to visit there some day. Choosing a favorite is hard but I’ll go with The Valley from Jack’s Mountain. Thank you for sharing, Amy. I look forward to future blog posts about your and Stacey’s trip.

    Like

    Reply

      1. Looking forward to them! My family and I are heading up there early tomorrow morning for a day trip. It’s one of our favorite places!

        Like

Leave a comment