Autumn is filled with ways to celebrate, and learn more about, history in Lancaster County and beyond — from bus trips to museums to in-person and virtual history presentations.
If you live in Manheim Township or Millersville, you may find this difficult to believe: Up to 10% of Lancaster County residents speak Pennsylvania Dutch. Many also speak English, but at home they generally speak Deitsch.
This is a finding of Frank Kessler, a Pennsylvania Dutch dialect enthusiast who lives in Belgium. He has a particular interest in Lancaster County because the largest Amish settlement in the world is located here. He often visits the area.
Of the estimated 40,525 Amish residents of the Lancaster settlement in 2020, about 36,000 to 37,000 live in Lancaster County. The others live in neighboring counties. They all speak Dutch.