Bomberger's Distillery
Also known as: Michter's Distillery
Why it's listed
Distilling has taken place on this Lebanon County site in Newmanstown since at least 1795, according to Shank family records. The surviving 19th-century core includes a distillery building with mid-nineteenth-century structure, reused materials and original copper equipment, a brick and oak-framed warehouse built about 1875-1880 with pegged oak second-floor framing, and a frame store dating from 1870-1880 that served as a retail outlet for the distillery's products. The buildings are listed for their role in the distilling process and for the continuity of traditional pot distillation. Production remains at a small scale under master distiller C. Everett Beam, a descendant of Jacob Beam, whose methods are described as essentially the same as those of the Bomberger period. The nomination notes that the surrounding complex includes later 20th-century warehouses, a fermenting building, a bottling plant and a distilling tower.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the site has been used for distilling since 1795 and that its surviving distillery, warehouse and store are preserved examples of structures tied to the distilling process. It also states that traditional small-scale, hand-supervised distilling methods continue there, and that the operation has survived as a whiskey producer since the late eighteenth century.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 75001649, listed June 26, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 7 mi. SW of Newmanstown off PA 501, Newmanstown |
|---|---|
| County | Lebanon County |
| Listed | June 26, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001649 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1795 - 1860 |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated January 16, 1980 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Working distillery producing whiskey; the nomination also states an intention to develop the Bomberger Distillery into a working museum. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 40.27676, -76.31959 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 75001649.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4940635
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.