Carl Smith, a member of Ludwig United Methodist in Bainbridge, says no one knows how the church got its name.

"Local records indicate that the name 'Ludwig' was first used in 1896 when the church was reopened after a fire," Smith writes. "However, there is nothing in the church records as to the origin of its name."

Perhaps someone named Ludwig contributed a wad of cash to restore the burned church. But that's only a guess.

Churches receive their names in various ways.

Many county churches are named for their locations: Hinkletown Mennonite, Swamp Lutheran (Reinholds), and so on.

Others are named for saints.

Some take their names from national or international church organizations. For example: Oromo Evangelical Church (Lancaster).

And some are named for prominent people in a local congregation, such as, perhaps, Ludwig.

The Scribbler's favorite church named for an individual is Salem (Evangelical Reformed) Hellers in Leola. It's known more familiarly as simply Heller's because its original elders in the 1720s included a fellow named Rudolf Heller.

As a young boy, the Scribbler thought children who went to a church called Heller's might be having more fun in Sunday School than kids who attended Bird-in-Hand Methodist Church.

Maybe kids attending Ludwig United Methodist think the same.

'World's Squarest Teenagers'

Some people were outraged when the UPN television network five years ago aired "Amish in the City," a reality show that matched five young Amish people from the Midwest with worldly roommates in Hollywood.

The Old Order Amish community of Lancaster County was particularly appalled, although no local Amish took part.

A similar series recently aired, without so much fanfare, on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom.

The show carried the more provocative title of "Amish: World's Squarest Teenagers."

Like its predecessor, the program pushed five Amish teenagers from the Midwest into new situations with hip hosts.

Most of the participants, in their late teens or early 20s, had abandoned the church before flying to England. So they're not really Amish.

Still, they claimed they were enjoying Rumspringa, the time during which some young Amish do wild and crazy things before joining the church.

More about the show: channel4.com/programmes/ami....

Lancaster County Prison in NYC

A couple of weeks ago the Scribbler asked: Why is a punk-country band in Queens, N.Y., named "Lancaster County Prison"?

A belated answer comes from Mark DeAngelis, the band's bass player and back-up singer.

Turns out that John Carruthers, the band's lead singer, knew a guy who had spent time in Lancaster County Prison before jumping bail and fleeing to Queens. Authorities eventually hauled him back to jail.

Carruthers wrote to this fellow after he returned to the pokie and, one day, while addressing an envelope he thought, "That would make a great name for a band."

He also thought the prison's name fit the band's Irish country/punk rock style.

DeAngelis says the band has other connections with Lancaster.

Band members played at the Chameleon Club one night in the early 1990s.

They also had their pictures taken in front of the prison. That photo is on the cover of their first album.

"It's an amazing building," says DeAngelis of the prison. "It's like a castle. It goes back to the old days when prisons were in the middle of the town."

Ah, yes, how fortunate Lancaster is to have its old county prison so close to the authentic heart of town.

Contact The Scribbler: jbrubaker@lnpnews.com or 291-8781.