The warehouse was built in 1879 by D.R. Kauffman, J. Kendig, and M.S. Seachrist.

The end walls are 21 inches thick, seven rows of bricks. Ribbbons of brick on the side reinforce the side walls to withstand weight of stacked bales that would exert pressure on the floors and ultimately pressure to the walls. Very nice cornices as the roof wraps around the end wall.

Some upper workings of the elevator that was used to transport bales of tobacco from one level to another.

The actual elevator cage in the down position. The original elevator was hand operated by packers using ropes and pulleys.

The elevator was motorized around 1920. An iron tobacco press and baling equipment still remain in the building.

Some research shows that the warehouse was used by the Mennonite Central Committee to store food during World War IIas part of their relief effort to refugees in war-torn Europe. Its use as a tobacco warehouse drew to a close in the late 1950's.

The date stone for the warehouse. Tobacco was not a big crop in Lancaster Co. until after the Civil War. Before that time, starting about 1828, tobacco was grown mostly for the farmers own use as chewing tobacco or for pipe-smoking. The south, having been decimated during the Civil War, was not capable of growing much of anything with fewer laborers, white and black;thus, tobacco increased to major crop importance further north, especially in Lancaster County and environs. Thus the warehouse was not needed until the last quarter of the 19th century.

When Ray Brunner bought the warehouse in 1983, it had been sitting idle for about 20 years. Mr Brunner restored the building quite remarkably and today it holds his organ building business and also another business. One employee owns the Shiffer Mill, Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pa.