SPRINGFIELD - Good land, good water and reasonable prices were what the Amish were looking for, and they found it in the Town Springfield.

According to Andy Byler, an Amish minister who bought the John and Gail Walruth farm "Dutch Corners" last year, those attributes were what has helped attract a dozen familes to the far nothern reaches of Springfield, at the top of Otsego County. Many Amish families are looking for new areas to settle, he said, and those are among the basic requirements they hope to fulfill.

In addition, Byler said, he and his family were primarily interested in dairy farming, and Springfield has dairy land for sale. "We spent a lot of time looking," Byler said, "and it was the dairy farms available that we liked."

In fact, according to Town Supervisor Tom Armstrong, Springfield has 32 working dairy farms, more than any other town in Otsego County, and they're fairly close together, another benefit for the Amish community.

Most of the Amish settling in Springfield are from Delaware, with a few from Kentucky and Iowa, said Byler.

The migration began about a year ago with the purchase of Walruth's farm at Van Alstine and Fassett Roads in East Springfield and the Richard and Johanna Collins farms at the intersection of Mount Tom and McShane Roads in Springfield.

Since then, the Olsen farm in the Town of Stark, just across the line in Herkimer County and the Palmatier farm in Springfield, where a barn raising was held two weeks ago, have also been sold.

The most recent farm to be purchased by an Amish family, the Hershbergers, is the Jim and Lorraine Murphy farm on County Highway 31 in East Springfield. The Murphys are moving out this week.

"The farm has been in the family since 1821," said Lorraine Murphy, "and leaving it is hard. It tugs on the heart a little bit - but we wanted to see it stay as a farm. And they [the Amish] are probably one of the few sources of farming people left. Most of the kids graduate and leave these days."

"If the next generation can make $50,000 and work 180 days a year in another career, why would they trade that for 18 hours a day, seven days a week?" Gail Walruth said.

"It's so much easier, and, they have Saturday night off," John Walruth added.

The Dutch Corners Farm was settled by Jacob Walruth in 1763, and "went from generation to generation" to John Walruth, who has retained 15 acres of the land. But today's mechanized agriculture has become too difficult and expensive for many small farmers, the Walruths said.

"They [the Amish] don't have the bills that we have to start with," said Gail Walruth.

"They don't have workman's comp, the carry their own insurance, they don't have the electricity that we'd have and they wouldn't have the labor bill. They furnish their own labor," John Walruth added. "We can't afford to do it. They can do it."

In addition, Amish farming includes the use of draft horses, although tractors will be used as stationary power plants for belt-driven tasks such as filling silo, grinding feed and thrashing grain, Byler said.

Byler indicated that there are more Amish families waiting for land to become available in Springfield, and that anyone interested in selling property to the Amish may contact him. Currently there are about 12 families who have already settled here, and that number may double in the future. In fact, the first birth in the Amish community occurred on Aug. 3. Irene M. Byler was born to Mary and Mervin Byler, son of Andy Byler.

"Must be crowdin' a hundred now," Walruth estimated on the number of Amish currently residing in Springfield. "It could double within the next ten years, that would be my guess. If the land could be made available to them, at a price that they could afford, it [Springfield] could be a major Amish settlement. It could be another Lancaster County, Pennsylvania."

The Amish community does not yet have a bishop, the usual leader of the group, but has four ministers, including Byler, Raymond Herschberger, Neil Herschberger and Mahlon Miller. Church services are held in Amish homes, with each family taking a turn as host. Amish children are homeschooled, and plans are underway to build a schoolhouse for completion in the spring. The Amish do not vote, nor do they serve in the military (unless drafted), but they do pay their taxes, said Byler.

The feeling in the Town of Springfield is that an Amish settlement here has a very positive impact.

"I think it's one of the best things that's happened to the Town of Springfield," said Armstrong. "I don't think there's a soul that opposes them...a lot of people I've talked to think it's the best thing for the town. I've seen them in restaurants, farm machinery dealers, they buy feed, they'll carry on and keep this a farming town and increase tax revenues."

Armstrong added, "They're all good neighbors...they're very pleasant, they all wave...they look forward to seeing people, they're not drawn in to themselves."

He did caution that there are currently no horse and buggy signs, indicating that Amish may be on the road, on Route 80 or Route 20 in the Town of Springfield. He's says he's going to try and get signs for those two roads and in the meantime "watch out" when driving in the Town of Springfield.

"They're hard workers, they don't bother you, they're helpful...they're the type of neighbors that everyone should be," John Walruth said.

How do the Amish feel about Springfield and it's people? Byler said that the Amish community is very happy here and that the people are "very nice."