In 1735 Andrew Dingman, the original settler, picked a spot on the Delaware for his home and called it "Dingman's Choice". He built a flat boat and operated a ferry across the river.
Dingman's Choice and Delaware Bridge company was chartered in 1834 by the Legislatures of both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. A wooden bridge was erected, but high water soon destroyed it. Again, the ferry was called into service, manned by descendents of the original Dingman.
We see the piers were raised on the abutments of the first bridge to avoid flood waters, and another bridge was built. This bridge must have been covered, for in the diaries of old residents, we read accounts of hauling snow to the bridge so that sleds could cross it in winter. In 1865 this second wooden bridge was blown down in a great wind storm. From 1865 to 1900 the ferry was operated again by Dingman's descendents.
The third and present bridge was erected in 1900. The present company operates under the original charter of 1834. This bridge not only links two states, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but is a link as well with more than two centuries of history. It is one of the last privately owned bridges in the land.
