Logo Our Family Tree

Lancaster Co PA Bridges, Lancaster Co, PA

Contents

Kauffman's Distillery Bridge

Kauffman

Linking Mount Joy and Lititz
This bridge is named for a whiskey distillery operated by at least two generations of the Kauffman family, including Jacob S. Kauffman (1794-1849) and Henry M. Kauffman (1821-94). The distillery was once located at the northern end of the village of Sporting Hill, on the Rapho Township side of the bridge.

A group of "viewers" (local citizens familiar with the area) was appointed in 1855 to consider the need for a bridge at this location. The viewers reported that "a Bridge over Chiques Creek at the place where the public Highway from Sporting Hill in Rapho Township to Lititz … crosses the same is necessary." (1) That "highway," now Sun Hill Road, gave travelers a more direct route between Mount Joy and and Lititz, bypassing Manheim Borough.

After the bridge was approved, it was completed by James C. Carpenter in 1857. It was then rebuilt by Elias McMellen in 1874 at a cost of $1,620. (2) McMellen, a Civil War veteran who also served as Lancaster County Prothonotary, built and repaired many of the county's bridges over the course of his career.

Website: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=173518

Attribution: By William Pope

Related albums • See other albums

Lancaster Co PA Bridges

Related engineering

Kauffmans Distillery Covered Bridge

Related people

Elias McMellen
Henry Martin Kauffman
Jacob Swarr Kauffman
James Cook Carpenter

Sources
Posted By: Ray Gurganus

  1. Website: Historical Marker Database;
  2. Website: Family Search Trees;

Updated: 10-25-2021