Nestled in the middle-of-nowhere-Maine, the first Amish community settled in the town of Smyrna. It was originally deemed a town when Nehemiah Leavitt inhabited it with his family in 1830. The Methodist minister created mills and made schoolhouses, but his efforts were futile. The ghost town went through phases of habitation, but was only truly settled by the Amish in the 1990s. It became the oldest Amish community in Maine.
Seventeen miles away from Houlton, Smyrna is incredibly isolated. The stores, inns and shops it offers substantiate the lives of those who live there as horse and buggy prove too difficult a journey to make frequent trips to the nearby town. The technology of the modern day that has infiltrated towns in the U.S. keeps the Amish in small rural communities to consolidate a simpler lifestyle. However, this does not mean that given such isolationist tendencies, the Amish are unfriendly to visitors. In fact, Smyrna welcomes tourists. Its famous general store, The Pioneer Place, supports its population and caters to visitors of the farming town. According to Chris Hilty, the proprietor, more than 70% of the customers who come to Pioneer Place are non-Amish.
A road trip from Orono to Smyrna takes about an hour and a half. The drive follows Interstate-95 North and turns off before you hit border customs in Canada. An itinerary for the trip could start with a check–in at the Brookside Inn, a quaint hotel in the heart of town. While Smyrna is a place more commonly felt to be a town between towns, there are wholesome activities to be discovered there. In the beginning of the trip, set out for the natural beauty of Aroostook County, which includes the beautiful lake just a hop over from Smyrna, known as Meduxnekeag Lake. The area in and surrounding Smyrna is timeless and pristine, fantastic for nature lovers. The Meduxnekeag Nature Preserve is filled with trails to satisfy any hankering for hiking at multiple differing difficulties. After a day of amazing scenery, Smyrna has a must-try homestyle restaurant, Murray’s. The cozy atmosphere this time of year is something special, coupled with the changing of the leaves as well as holiday specials.
The next day on a trip to Aroostook’s Smyrna should be filled with the core fascination of the town itself —its Amish heritage. While a traveler to Smyrna is destined to see (and perhaps meet) members of the community throughout their duration, the hotspot of the Amish town is none other than Pioneer Place. This is a little market in town that grew from a humble farm stand into what it is today. Raved about in Maine journals and reviews, Pioneer Place invites folks from all over Maine to buy products made by the Amish community. They offer fresh-picked produce, chicken, pork, raw milk, jams, jellies, pickles, butter, flowers —everything a farmers market should have. This general store is the heart of Smyrna, with the 24 families of the town aiding its thriving outputs. Usually, the stand closes sometime in November, but there have been recent rumblings in keeping it open year–round.
For a modest road trip without the fast paces of a city or the chaos of a club, consider a trip to the Amish country. There is fresh food, interesting stories and a slow stride in attitude compared to anywhere else. The complicated life has no place in Smyrna. It is a place for fresh air, a deep breath and the slow canter of horse hooves.
