Golden Rule Lumber & Hardware

As most visitors to our local community quickly notice, a number of the Amish & Mennonites in Southern Todd County KY earn a living in non-farming occupations. Amish & Mennonite shops selling everything from quilts to gazebos dot the countryside. What were the factors behind this shift from "plows to profits," and how is it affecting Southern Todd County KY Amish & Mennonite culture today? The beginnings of this shift actually had something to do with farming changes among the non-Amish & Mennonite.
Horse-drawn equipment became increasingly scarce after 1940, as more American farmers began using tractors. Consequently, several Amish & Mennonite mechanics opened machine shops to refurbish horse-drawn implements, and welders and mechanics began producing parts to repair the equipment. They had to, as the Non-Amish Community was leaving these skills behind, seeing them as obsolete. Taking a major turn, they also began buying equipment designed for tractors and adapting it for use with horses. Thus, somewhat ironically, the Amish & Mennonite in our Region were nudged into business in order to preserve their rural farm & non-techological lifestyle. Here, Southern Todd County, most Amish/Mennonites drive tractors as transportation as well as a Farm Tool
By the 1960s &70s, making a living by farming was becoming more difficult. The increasing Amish & Mennonite population north of the Mason Dixon Line, coupled with decreasing farmland and higher prices, made getting started difficult or impossible for some. Others found the payments on the farm, building, loans, mortgages and interest a hardship. One alternative was to move to another area, which many have done & relocated to South Central KY, where farmland was available and cheaper. Here, as families grew, many looked at ways to supplement the Family income by having a family member work for others, sometimes on a carpentry crew, as a farmhand, or as a cleaning lady in homes of non-Amish & Mennonite. But of most concern to the Amish & Mennonite in this region was the concern known as the "lunch pail" problem - the possible necessity of having to work in a factory. They were concerned about work that involved going outside the family and community for economic survival, fearing it could drive a wedge into the family and cause disruption.
A good compromise between farming and factories came to be in the 70s and 80s - that of Amish & Mennonite manufacturing shops and cottage industries. During this period of explosive business growth, Amish & Mennonite entrepreneurs ventured into industry within the Southern Central KY Regional Amish & Mennonite community, then to non-Amish & Mennonite neighbors, then to tourists. Over the years, they have found that Amish & Mennonite industry has enriched community life. Work remains near the home, family members often work together, and financial resources are kept within the community. Moreover, Amish & Mennonite control eliminates Sunday sales, fringe benefits, adverse personnel policies and other influences that sometimes accompany factory employment.
Four types of Amish & Mennonite industries in South Central KY consume much of the work that is done away from the farm:
1. Cottage industries located on farm or beside home: crafts, repair work, light manufacturing
2. Large shops: farm machinery, lawn furniture, storage sheds, etc.
3. Mobile carpentry and construction crews: construct homes, barns, sheds, remodel, install kitchens, build silos, just about anything you can think of.
4. Retail stores: bakeries, markets, hardware, lumber supply, saw mills, appliances, clothing, furniture, quilts and crafts for the So. Central KY Amish & Mennonite community, non-Amish & Mennonite neighbors and tourists.
Amish & Mennonite shops in So. Central KY produce an amazing variety of products and services. Woodworking trades comprise the largest cluster of enterprises - furniture building, cabinet making and storage barn and gazebo construction & more general woodworking activity. Smaller wood products, such as doghouses, chicken coops, birdhouses, cupolas, picnic tables, and lawn furniture also flow from Lancaster Amish & Mennonite shops. The small storage sheds widely distributed in several states are another popular product of Amish & Mennonite carpentry shops.
Golden Rule Lumber & Hardware assists our community as well as the professional tradesmen like electricians, plumbers, painters & builders. They shop with us due to our quality products, but more importantly, due to our knowledge & on equaled Customer Service.