Neffsville 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 Manheim Township, Lancaster County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States. Being unincorporated, Neffsville has no boundaries. The U.S. Geological Survey place names database locates Neffsville at 40°6'0"N 76°18'20"W. The retail and restaurant center of Neffsville is near 2500 Lititz Pike (

Pennsylvania Route 501 Pennsylvania Route 501 (PA 501) is a north–south state highway in south central Pennsylvania that runs for . Its southern terminus is at U.S. Route 222 (US 222) and PA 272 north of Lancaster, and its northern terminus is PA 895 southeast ...

). Via PA 501, Lancaster, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

, is to the south, and Lititz is to the north.

Pennsylvania Route 722 Pennsylvania Route 722 (PA 722) is an , east–west state highway located in central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The western terminus is at an interchange with PA 283 in East Hempfield Township, where State Road continues westward towar ...

leads west to East Petersburg and east to

Pennsylvania Route 272 Pennsylvania Route 272 (PA 272) is a highway in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the Lancaster area. The southern terminus of the route is at the Mason–Dixon line southeast of Nottingham, where the road continues into Maryland as Maryland Route ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. Manheim Township High School on School Road is considered to be in Neffsville. The Manheim Township School District serves 5,400 students with 637 employees, 423 of them holding teaching certificates.

History

According to local tradition, Neffsville was named for the family of Johan Christian Neff, originally from Gerolsheim,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, who was aboard the ship ''Lydia'' when she arrived in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

on September 19, 1743. Neff moved to Lampeter Township in Lancaster County, married the former Frena Howery, and they had three children there - Christian in 1750, Henry in 1754, and Esther in 1757. All three married in Lancaster County, but Christian's life ended in

Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Westmoreland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 364,663. The county seat is Greensburg. Formed from, successively, Lancaster, Northumberland, and later Bedford co ...

, and Esther's in

Lebanon County, Pennsylvania Lebanon County ( Pennsylvania Dutch: Lebanon Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 133,568. Its county seat is the city of Lebanon. The county was formed from portions of Dauphin ...

. An elementary school on School Road was named for Henry Holt.

Shank's extracts

Jacob Shank, a Neffsville pharmacist, introduced "Shank's Compound Flavoring of Vanilla Bean" in 1899 to improve the taste of his medicines. The product is still made today, and Shank's is now the second-largest primary

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). Pollination is required to make the p ...

supplier in North America, as well as supplying other extracts, flavorings and spices. The Shanks family sold the business in 1959, and it is no longer in Neffsville, but many collectors prize their old extract bottles that read "Shank's Extracts - Neffsville, Pa."

Notable Neffsville residents

Jim Furyk James Michael Furyk (born May 12, 1970) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. In 2010, he was the FedEx Cup champion and PGA Tour Player of the Year. He has won one major championship, the 200 ...

, professional golfer *

Don Gehman Don Gehman is an American record producer, engineer, and executive, best known for his work with John Mellencamp and Hootie & the Blowfish. He was one of "the most successful producers of the 1980s and 1990s." As a sound engineer, he also helped ...

, record producer *

Taylor Kinney Taylor Jackson Kinney (born July 15, 1981) is an American actor and model. He has played Mason Lockwood in ''The Vampire Diaries'', Jared in ''Zero Dark Thirty'', Phil in '' The Other Woman'', and Chicago Fire Department Lieutenant Kelly Severi ...

, television actor, model * Brad Rutter, second-winningest game show contestant in history

In popular culture

Neffsville appears in the animated movie ''

Free Birds ''Free Birds'' is a 2013 American computer-animated science fiction comedy film. The film follows two turkeys travelling back in time to the first Thanksgiving to get turkey off the menu. It was produced by Reel FX Creative Studios as its fir ...

''.

References

External links

Shank's Extracts
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Unincorporated communities in Pennsylvania