Visit Shreve and Fredericksburg, Ohio with Mary Ellis
When readers and tourists alike think of Ohio’s Amish country, they usually think of Sugarcreek, Walnut Creek, and Berlin. But I cherish some of the lesser-known small towns like Shreve and Fredericksburg, the setting for my latest release, A Plain Man. Located in the heart of Wayne County, these two towns are loaded with Amish buggies in a far less “touristy” atmosphere.
Every time I’m in Shreve I dine at Des Dutch Essenhaus, where the food is cooked and served by Mennonite and Amish women, and plenty of Amish-made crafts are for sale in the gift shop. My friends Diane and Rex Dye own the lovely Christian Homestead Bookstore loaded with both fiction and non-fiction, along with a fine assortment of homeschool materials. Be sure to also stop in at the hardware store while in town for a selection of gadgets not found in your local big-box store.
In Fredericksburg you’ll find the end-of-the-line of a wonderful bike trail, converted from an old rail line from Cleveland to Millersburg. I’ve sent many friends down to Hotel Millersburg to spend the night and then ride up to Fredericksburg through the rural countryside. Besides exercising Englischers, you’ll see plenty of Plain folks, both walking and riding the trail for a safe transportation lane. Also in Fredericksburg, look for the tiny, historic jailhouse. Once I found the door unlocked so I moseyed in, sat on the one cot in the one cell, and pretended I’d been arrested for disturbing the peace on a Saturday night. Although the wife of the mayor or sheriff no longer delivers home-cooked meals to the sole inmate, you still can savor a place where time has stood still.
In my story, A Plain Man, Caleb Beachy returns to the quiet serenity of Wayne County to heal his emotional wounds and rebuild his relationship with God. For myself, I reconnect with the slow, the simple, and the straightforward every time I visit Shreve and Fredericksburg, Ohio.
Mary Ellis has written twelve bestselling novels set in the Amish community. Before “retiring” to write full-time, Mary taught school and worked as a sales rep for Hershey Chocolate. Living in Harmony, book one of her last series, won the 2012 Lime Award for Excellence in Amish Fiction. Love Comes to Paradise won the 2013 Lime Award. Her current release is A Plain Man. She can be found on the web at
www.maryellis.net or on Facebook.
Photos of Ohio Amish country courtesy of Mary Ellis.
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Hershey Chocolate…how did you get that sweet job! lol
Love your books
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Mary Ellis Reply:
October 13th, 2014 at 6:19 am
Thanks for leaving a comment, Michelle, and for your kind words about my writing. I got my job at Hershey Chocolate the old fashioned way….a classified ad in the Cleveland newspaper. That was a 25 years ago. Now Hershey posts all their sales rep job openings, both part time and full, online. Have a lovely autumn.
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Recently my husband and I went to Sugar Creek for Wanda Brunstetters Fan Weekend. We had a great time and while there fell in love with the area. You are so right. There are lots of items in the Amish stores that we don’t have in ours. We noticed the small towns in the area and heard about the trail that you speak about here. Coarse we returned home loaded down with Amish baked goodies and Apple’s from the orchard in Walnut Creek. Going to make an Apple pie tomorrow. We had a very good time while there.
Blessings
Shirley
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Hi Shirley, yes, I know for a fact you had a great time in Sugar Creek. What an adorable little town. Did you see the office for the Amish newspaper, The Budget? I cannot go to Amish country without returning with a trunk full of goodies. I bought a big bag of Amish apples yesterday. Since I must stay away from gluten pie crust I plan to make lots of baked apple casseroles. Blessings on you and your family.
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We were in a tour with Wanda Brunstetters group. We didn’t go to the budget office. We went to the behalt exhibit and seen other places of interest. Lots happening there. On Monday we did shopping before coming home. Went to Troyers and bought lots of cheese and the Apple orchard in Walnut Creek.
I made the pie and it turned out great and was very delicious. I used the Apple pie spice I bought at the Dutch Valley gift shop.
Blessings
Shirley
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Visited Berlin last year. We plan to go back next fall. Thinking we will need to branch out to other towns nearby. Have read several of your books. Love reading books that take place where I have been. A Plain Man sounds great!
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This makes me want to go to the Ohio Amish Country,I have been to Lancaster Co. in Penn.3 different times,Had wonderful time every time.Came home with lots of hand made Amish goods,home grown fruits and vegs,jellies ,candy ,I especially enjoyed to buggy tours and learning history of the Amish,I have read Wanda Brunstetters book and enjoyed them very much,
Due to health problems was unable to go this year,a spring visit is now on my bucket list.Thanks for all the good reads.Now i am looking forward to reading books by Wanda Ellis.
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Love all The Amish books,looking forward to Wanda Ellis books
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Home is my retreat where I can pray, play w/ my grandsons, read, quilt, play the keyboard any time I want, and play w/ my dog!
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Visiting Ohio Amish country has been on my bucket list for several years, Thanks for a personal glimpse into some of your favorite spots!
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Thank you, everyone, for welcoming Mary to the blog! Here’s to many more trips to Amish country – whether in actuality or through the pages of some great Amish fiction.
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I love Amish families. There is a family in southern MI, that live in my great grand-parents house. Would you please let me know where Fredricksville, is? TY
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Amber Stokes Reply:
November 5th, 2014 at 4:51 pm
Hi, Caryn! How neat that your great-grandparents’ house is home to an Amish family. Have you had a chance to interact with them at all?
As for your question, do you mean Fredericksburg, the place referenced in this article? If so, Fredericksburg is a small town in Wayne County, Ohio. On the map, it appears to be in the northeast portion of the state. If you meant Fredericksville, a Google search tells me there’s a town by that name in Pennsylvania…
Hope that helps!
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