Where Are The Amish in Maine?

Published:May 13, 2024 · Updated:Sep 16, 2024 by Kevin Williams |4 Comments

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I love Maine. In fact, I've probably spent more time in Maine than almost any other state besides Ohio. Maine's beauty, rugged independence, stunning coastline and breathing-taking mountain vistas make it a magnet for many, including the Amish.

Maine has several Amish settlements and their foothold in the state is rapidly growing.. The oldest is at Smyrna, Maine in the far north,but other settlements have started near Fort Fairfield, Patten, Whitefield, and Unity. A "plain" community of ex-Amish also live near Corinna. The Amish of Unity, Maine are a progressive, friendly group.

The Maine Amish run the gamut from very progressive Amish in the Smyrna settlement to ulta-conservative in the Fort Fairfield community.

❤️Why Does Maine Appeal To The Amish?

There are plenty of reasons for the Amish to be attracted to Maine. Here are some of the reasons:

Independence/Tolerance: Maine has a long tradition of "live and let live", leaving people alone, etc, and that appears to self-sufficient, isolationist Amish.
Profitable Farming: Potatoes and blueberries are two crops that the Amish have long histories with and the state is known to have super growing conditions for both of those.
Plentiful land: Maine's population has been declining in the rural areas, leaving vast amounts of land available for settling.
Proximity:While Maine may seem like a world away, it's really not. You can be to many Amish communities in New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio after a long day's drive.

🗺️ Where are The Amish Communities in Maine?

I have been to many of the Amish communities in Maine, but new ones seem to be continually established and I will add to this list as they are.

Fort Fairfield

When I first heard about the Amish settlement at Fort Fairfield, Maine It sort of captured my imagination. Only a few years old, this community seemed about as remote as one could get, far up into northern Maine just a stone’s throw from the New Brunswick border. The winter weather conditions would be harsh and, I imagined, it would be far, far from anywhere.

Well, I was wrong. Mostly. he Amish settlement goes by the name “Fort Fairfield”, but its actually located pretty much equidistant between Fort Fairfield and Presque Isle. And while these areas are quite remote and far removed from anywhere (the closest “big city” of any substance is Bangor 2 hours to the southwest) Presque Isle actually has a lot of “stuff” so you don’t feel so isolated. Preque Isle is, as the name implies, a sort of "island” in northern Maine, a hub for banking, shopping, and working. Presque Isle has an airport with commercial flights and less than 10 minutes by car from the Amish settlement is a mall with a JcPenney’s, movie theater, and a Lowe’s.

The Fort Fairfield Amish settlement is only miles from Presque Isle, that has a mall, a Lowe's and plenty of chain restaurants, so this Amish settlement is not too isolated...

in fact as I was driving by the Lowe’s, I spied a horse-drawn buggy slowly clattering down the highway. So, yea, I’m not so sure I’d call being able to access a Lowes and Penny's by buggy remote in the strict sense of the word

Since I wasn’t sure where the settlement was exactly I decided to “shadow the buggy” from afar.

Sure enough the buggy led me to the Zook residence. There were two brothers on the buggy running some errands from in town. It was actually – for Presque Isle, anyway – a warm April day, temperatures sunny and in the mid-40s.

“The worst thing about winters up here is right now, when you are waiting for the first days of spring but they are slow to get here,” said one of the brothers.

They were also picking up some raw milk from the Zooks since they didn’t have a cow of their own.

“Did you know it is completely legal here in Maine to drink and consume raw milk?”

Winters, they said, are much harsher than the lower Midwest, but that if you have enough home-canned goodies and firewood, it’s not so bad.

“And the vegetables grow really well up here in the summer, I almost think bigger,” said the brothers who moved to the state from Tennessee.

Patten

Patten, Maine and I was unaware of any Amish communities there. This town affords stunning views of Mt. Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak. Turns out the Amish here are super conservative. I stopped in at one Amish home that was selling eggs and maple syrup and talked to the woman who lived there about her community. The Patten settlement has been there for about 5 years and is a Swartzentruber Amish district of one church district comprised of 23 families. Gingeriches and Millers are common names. Interestingly, they are not far from Smyrna, yet the two groups interact only minimally. Just kind of interesting that with Maine being such a huge state and the two groups don’t interact, yet they settle close.

Unity

Unity is very open to outsiders, or seekers, who wish to join the Amish church. This is how aBangor Daily News article describes Unity.
UNITY, Maine — Fresh-faced young women wearing pristine white caps, long plain cotton dresses and flip-flops bustled around the kitchen Wednesday morning, the insistent, delicious smell of frying doughnuts surrounding them like a cloud of dense perfume.

I visited Unity in 2012 and found it to be a very small,but very hospitable, Amish community.

Unity is one of the few Amish communities that has a formal church building to hold services. Services are not held in homes, but in a church building. This makes attracting outsiders to the community easier.
This part of Maine isn't rocky or mountainous, just gently rolling bucolic hills, a peaceful patch for a peaceful people.

Inside an Amish home. This Amish baker was making someblueberry lemon muffins. They are delicious. Of course, Maine is blueberry country!

I could have really grown used to all the blueberry-laced confections in Unity. If you like blueberries and the Amish, this is where you want to be!

And since I know you will all ask "where is the recipe for this blueberry cake", here it is MELT IN YOUR MOUTH BLUEBERRY CAKE!

Maine corn. You know, I never really think of Maine as a "corn state", but this was locally grown corn that this Amish woman was shucking seemingly effortlessly.

The other item Maine is known for, well, okay, Maine is known for its lobsters, then blueberries, but then potatoes, yes, potatoes are a Maine staple. They grow quite well in the state's rocky soil. And let me tell you, these were some darn good fried potatoes!

And tomatoes also grow well in Maine. Who knew? This is a plate of sliced, fresh tomato on our lunch table. I remember these, so good and flavorful.

Yes, that is a cell phone you see on the belt of one of the men. This is a bit more of a progressive Amish settlement, so that's not surprising. Although them man with the cell phone might not have been Amish, I can't remember. I know there was a "seeker" there helping to sort potatoes.

horse-drawn buggies and carts are used in Unity.

Smyrna

The Smyrna settlement is more progressive than some Amish communities, but they do draw some clear lines such as not using motorized tractors and heating with wood instead of kerosene.

One of my favorite Plain-owned businesses

I probably wouldn't plan a vacation around visiting Smyrna, but if you are in the area, the Pioneer Place and other Amish-owned businesses are definitely worth checking out. If you are visiting on a weekday during the school-year the log school-house with children playing ball at recess offers a serene scene and on clear days you can easily see Maine's tallest peak - Mt. Katahdin - off to the southwest. The Amish settlement is an easy 5 minute jaunt off of I-95.

Other Maine Amish communities are listed below, I have not been to these so I don't have as much to say about them:

Whitefield

Sherman

Island Falls

Waterboro

🏪 Favorite Amish Businesses In Maine (Pioneer Place, and others!)

Community Market & Bakery: 368 Thorndike Rd, Unity. Wednesday is doughnut day, so that is an excellent day to go. But this is a full-service Amish market with bulk food, bakery, and deli, well worth a visit!

The Pioneer Place, General Store: 2539 US-2, Smyrna Mills, ME 04780. This is more of an old-time general store.

The Pioneer Place, owned by Chris Hilty, is sort of the hub of the Amish settlement in Smyrna. People gather to exchange news and gossip, to meet friends, and pick through the eclectic mix of wares for sale. Outsiders come to purchase anything from kerosene lamps to trail mix. Pioneer Place is a true general store serving rural Aroostook County. If you're expecting baked goods or homemade bread you might be disappointed, the Pioneer Place is not a bakery. Food-wise they do offer a selection of bulk foods for sale, such as bagged snack mix and some chocolates, but they are not made locally.

The real draw of Pioneer Place is the assortment of hardware and outdoor items (it is Maine, after all) and the fact that it gives you a central point from which to explore the surrounding Amish settlement with its various businesses.

probably wouldn't plan a vacation around visiting Smyrna, but if you are in the area, the Pioneer Place and other Amish-owned businesses are definitely worth checking out. If you are visiting on a weekday during the school-year the log school-house with children playing ball at recess offers a serene scene and on clear days you can easily see Maine's tallest peak - Mt. Katahdin - off to the southwest. The Amish settlement is an easy 5 minute jaunt off of I-95.

Pioneer Place offers an eclectic mix of products!

Cornerstone Country Market: 1045 Main St, Waterboro, ME 04087. Classic Amish general store and bulk food store. Per a Yelp reviewer:What a wonderful market and friendly employees/owners! I try to stop a few times per month to get great deli items, including butter cheese, fresh produce, and yummy candies and yogurt covered pretzels! Also, prices are right on garden items like huge potted tomato plants and beautiful hanging baskets! You'll come back again and again!!