National map USA Topo Maps showing Dellville

Dellville is a village in Wheatfield Township, United States. The settlement is located within the

Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area The Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area, officially the Harrisburg–Carlisle, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, and also referred to as the Susquehanna Valley, is defined by the Office of Management and Budget as an area consi ...

Population

Determining the ethnic population of Dellville is a challenge, as the area is not a census designated place. Additionally, there is widespread inaccuracy among the locals as to what specific ethnicity falling in the general class of caucasian they are. Most identify as either German, Irish, or Scots-Irish, while some simply identify as American. Despite these factors, sourcing historical documents and county data makes it clear (albeit with imperfect accuracy) that Dellville is predominantly German ethnically, though sizable Irish population exists as well. The original church in the area was a German Reformed Church plant. Perry County as a whole self-identifies as 45.2% German (43.3% "German" and 1.9% "Pennsylvania German", with the latter being

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. ...

people in other parts of the county), however, as Dellville has no major commerce area, there is a statistical likelihood of a higher German percentage of population.

Structures

It is most famous as the site of the Dellville Covered Bridge. The bridge was built either in 1810 or 1889, steel beams were added in the 1950s, and it was repaired in 1973 after

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes was the List of costliest Atlantic hurricanes, costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, ...

. In 2007, the Dellville Covered Bridge was barred from traffic, with a new bridge (made of concrete) receiving the redirected traffic. In November 2014 the Dellville covered bridge was arsoned, and in March 2018, reconstruction began on the bridge. It was finished in 2019. There is one church in Dellville, presently a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

church, but there is some evidence to suggest that it was formerly a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church. The church was expanded from its original size, though the time of this is not known. A store, now not used as such, was built in 1855 and first kept by Adam Billow. A post office was established in 1860, and the first postmaster was Eli Young, who served 14 years. There is no longer a post office in Dellville. The mill was one of the main parts of the village, and had various owners from the time it was built in 1841.

Geography

Dellville is one of many villages and towns in Perry County to have the Shermans Creek, which flows into the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

Duncannon Duncannon () is a village in southwest County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Bordered to the west by Waterford Harbour, Waterford harbour and sitting on a rocky headland jutting into the channel is the strategically prominent Duncanno ...

, run through it. The

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tra ...

passes through nearby, but is not easily accessible for another seven miles. As the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

run nearby, Dellville is in the Appalachian foothills and the Appalachian mountains are to the southeast. The specific ridge is Pine Ridge. The incline is quite observable on Pine Hill Road. The land surrounding Dellville is primarily agricultural, as is evident by satellite imagery, as well as historical documents pertaining to the founding of the village. However, there are also significant areas of

woodlands Woodlands may back-refer to: * Woodland, a low-density forest Geography Australia * Woodlands, New South Wales * Woodlands, Ashgrove, Queensland, a heritage-listed house associated with John Henry Pepper * Woodlands, Marburg, Queensland, a her ...

, with springs which are

tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...

to Shermans Creek, especially further from the village, in the area. The woodlands surrounding Dellville predominantly contain

red maple ''Acer rubrum'', the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant nati ...

pitch pine ''Pinus rigida'', the pitch pine, is a small-to-medium-sized pine. It is native to eastern North America, primarily from central Maine south to Georgia and as far west as Kentucky. It is found in environments which other species would find unsuit ...

eastern white pine ''Pinus strobus'', commonly called the eastern white pine, northern white pine, white pine, Weymouth pine (British), and soft pine is a large pine native to eastern North America. It occurs from Newfoundland, Canada, west through the Great Lake ...

eastern hemlock ''Tsuga canadensis'', also known as eastern hemlock, eastern hemlock-spruce, or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as ''pruche du Canada'', is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It is the state tree of ...

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

shagbark hickory ''Carya ovata'', the shagbark hickory, is a common hickory native to eastern North America, with two varieties. The trees can grow to quite a large size but are unreliable in their fruit output. The nut is consumed by wildlife and historically by ...

, and

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

trees, though

American sycamore ''Platanus occidentalis'', also known as American sycamore, American planetree, western plane, occidental plane, buttonwood, and water beech, is a species of ''Platanus'' native to the eastern and central United States, the mountains of northeast ...

, ironwood,

black walnut ''Juglans nigra'', the eastern American black walnut, is a species of deciduous tree in the walnut family, Juglandaceae, native to central and eastern North America, growing mostly in riparian zones. Black walnut is susceptible to thousand can ...

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus ''Ulmus'' in the family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical- montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ...

alder Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...

, and

sassafras ''Sassafras'' is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.Wolfe, Jack A. & Wehr, Wesley C. 1987. The sassafras is an ornamental tree. "Middle Eo ...

are also fairly common.

Gallery

File:Dark Hollow Road in Dellville, PA.jpg, A road to Dellville. File:An old building in Dellville, PA.jpg, A locally famous building. File:Dellville, Shermans Creek tributaries, from USGS.jpg, A topographic hydro map of the area, showing Shermans Creek and its tributaries. File:Dellville Covered Bridge PA 2012.jpg, Pre-arson Dellville Covered Bridge, seen from the parallel concrete bridge. File:Dellville, Pennsylvania covered bridge after arson.jpg, Dellville Covered Bridge, after arson. File:DELLVILLE JULY 25 1937.jpg, Dellville in 1937.

References

{{Perry County, Pennsylvania Perry County, Pennsylvania