A Visit To The Amish Countryside in Volant PA

BLACK BUZZ NEWS SERVICE
Special Report
Wampum, PA
January 11, 2012

by Tricia

Volant, Pennsylvania resides on land bought from the Native Americans in 1784. The first gristmill was built on the Neshannock Creek in 1806. Later another mill was built in 1812 and it still stands on that location that is downriver from the original mill.
Volant soon became a bustling village thanks to the mill and the railroad. But the great Depression caused its economy to slow, and it returned to being a sleepy rural village. A Renaissance began in 1984, and the mill opened as a gift shop, followed by many quaint and interesting stores, such as the James Creek Galleries, Attic Treasures and Volant Miniature Shop.
My family and I, one lovely summer afternoon in August 2010 enjoyed visiting many of these shops.  While my sister and I were touring one of the shops in which a special artist was featured, my brother-in-law decided to leave and to wait for us in the shop's very spacious yard which had picnic tables set up for the guests.  The store owner provided my brother-in-law with a fresh tray of hot cookies and apple juice while he was sitting on a bench next to the shop. Later, the store owner insisted on providing him with another tray of cookies, which he turned down.  Great hospitality!
We especially liked the self-guided driving tour of the Amish farmlands, which included Teena's Quilt shop and the famous covered bridge. We purchased several nice items from Teena, who is the owner of Teena's Quilt shop, which was located on an Authentic Amish farm. Teena also informed us that many of the famous quilts were made by her relatives and other young women in the Amish Community.
We also purchased a basket of Chambersburg Peaches from an Amish vendor on one of the back roads. The Amish people were quite friendly and conversed with us on many varied topics.  We toured the famous " Cheese House" and then drove to New Wilmington and had a very tasty scrumptious meal at the Tavern on The Square. The Tavern on the Square is located on the site of an Underground railroad station that was used during the time of slavery.
We do hope to visit Volant again soon.