Upper Barton Creek is a mixed

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

settlement and expats in Cayo District in

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

in the area of the Barton Creek. The

Mennonites Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

in Upper Barton Creek are ethnic Mennonites of the Noah Hoover group. Upper Barton Creek use to be a unique settlement of reformers from different

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...

backgrounds, who wanted to create a Mennonite community free of modernistic trends and in nonconformity to the world to live a simple Christian life. It was established in 1969 by Plautdietsch-speaking "Russian" Mennonites mostly from Spanish Lookout and later also from

Shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

in Belize, and Pennsylvania German-speaking families from Old Order Mennonite and

Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...

backgrounds, who originally came from the US and settled first in Pilgrimage Valley. In the founding of Upper Barton Creek three men and their families were very important, two of them came from Pilgrimage Valley and one from Spanish Lookout. Following their Ordnung the Mennonites of Upper Barton Creek at one time did not own any equipment with motors, including cars, nor did they use electricity. A saw mill there was powered by horses.They farmed with horses on a small scale, producing vegetables, fruit, cattle, honey, fruit trees etc. The original settlers practiced strict church discipline. Both men and women dressed

Plain In geography, a plain, commonly known as flatland, is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and ...

similar to Old Order Mennonites and Amish with men wearing beards. There was no education above elementary school.Friesen, Heinrich P. "Upper Barton Creek Colony (Belize)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1989. Web. 9 Oct 2014. The Mennonites of Upper Barton Creek were counted to the Noah Hoover group, which originally was from central

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. However after 2017 these Mennonites moved to Birdwak and Springfield and some rather progressive Old Order Mennonites from Ontario (Canada) have moved in. Daughter colonies of Upper Barton Creek are Springfield. In 1980 the total population was 60, in 1988 the total population was 157 including 45 church members and 2 ministers. In 2010 it had a population of 380, with an average household size of 7, reflecting the family-oriented conservative Mennonite culture.

Literature

*Carel Roessingh and Tanja Plasil (Editors): ''Between Horse & Buggy and Four-Wheel Drive: Change and Diversity Among Mennonite Settlements in Belize, Central America'', Amsterdam 2009. *Dale J. Nippert: ''Agricultural Colonization: The Mennonites of Upper Barton Creek, Belize'', Memphis 1994. *Helmut Schneider: ''Tradition und Veränderung in Belize (Mittelamerika): ein soziologischer Vergleich der Gemeinden San Ignacio und Upper Barton Creek'', Berlin 1990.

References

{{reflist Amish in North America Cayo District Populated places established in 1969 Populated places in Cayo District Mennonitism in Belize Old Order Mennonites Russian Mennonite diaspora in Belize