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Kleinfeltersville is an 
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in Heidelberg Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
Heidelberg Township is a township in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,080 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Lebanon, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Bomberger's Distillery was added to t ...
, United States. It is almost due east of Schaefferstown on Pennsylvania Route 897
Pennsylvania Route 897 (PA 897) is a north–south route in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The southern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Route 30 (US 30) in Gap. The northern terminus is at US 422 on the eastern edge of Lebanon ...
.
Kleinfeltersville is one of the longest one-word, unhyphenated place names in the United States recognized by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...
. At 17 characters, it is tied with Mooselookmeguntic, Maine
Mooselookmeguntic is a populated place in Franklin County, Maine, United States. It is located in the western part of the town of Rangeley, at the northern end of Maine State Route 4, west of Oquossoc. The community is on the east shore of the ...
. Kleinfeltersville ( ZIP code 17039) is the longest one-word name given to a United States Post Office
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...
. Kleinfeltersville has a post office, but there's no mail delivery from it. It simply houses P.O. boxes. Mail delivery for southeastern Heidelberg Township comes from the post office in Newmanstown.
It is the site of the Kleinfeltersville Hotel and Tavern, built before the start of the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. The original hotel burned down on April 1, 2015, and was replaced by a modern restaurant. It is also known to outdoorsmen as the community nearest to the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area
The Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area is a Wildlife Management Area located in Lancaster and Lebanon counties, Pennsylvania. It is managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
The area lakes seasonally get up to 200,000 migrating snow gees ...
, a popular location for birdwatching
Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, b ...
and other outdoor activities. Kleinfeltersville is the closest town to the Middle Creek Visitors Center.
Kleinfeltersville is also home to Albright Memorial Church which is the location of Jacob Albright's grave. Jacob Albright (1759-1808) was the son of German immigrants. He preached to poor farmers in the area and rose to become Bishop of the Methodist Church.
The village of Kleinfeltersville itself has a background steeped in religious history as it is the center of the founding of the Evangelical Association (a German expression of Methodism) by Jacob Albright. A follower of Jacob Albright, Rev. John R. Kleinfelter, was the founder of Kleinfeltersville, when he purchased a farm of approximately 200 acres from his father-in-law in 1824. This acreage, when divided between Rev. Kleinfelter's eight children, beginning in 1848, served as the nucleus of the village.
Located in town is the Kleinfeltersville Hotel & Tavern. The original building was built prior to 1860 of brick supplied undoubtedly from one of the local brick manufacturing companies and was originally started as a two-story building with an extension added in 1884 by then owner Henry Noll. In the early 1890s or early 1900s, owner Adam Spade added a mansard roofed third story to the hotel.
The hotel served as a hostelry for workers in the area cigar factories, brick factory and travelers as they traversed the southeastern portion of Lebanon County in the triangle between Reading, Lancaster and Harrisburg. It is rumored, according to the 1892 guest ledger of the hotel that Grover Cleveland and Adlai Stevenson spent time here just 11 days prior to their election on November 8, 1892. This visit is questionable, but possible if they were on the campaign trail.
References