Lower Bucks Today

The Route 213 bridge over the Neshaminy Creek in Lower Southampton Township has been officially named the Ensign Sarah Mitchell Memorial Bridge. This dedication honors Sarah Mitchell, a lifelong resident of Lower Southampton Township and a graduate of Neshaminy High School, who died during a training exercise while serving as an ensign in the U.S. Navy in Jordan on July 8, 2018, at the age of 23.

Representative Joe Hogan and Senator Frank Farry introduced legislation to dedicate this bridge to Ensign Sarah Mitchell. Their proposal was included in an omnibus package of dedications, now Act No. 63 of 2024.

Ensign Mitchell’s family and friends, local dignitaries, Lower Southampton Township officials, Superintendent of Neshaminy School District Jay Bowman, Betty Carleo from Bucks County Department of Veterans Affairs, and many community members attended the ceremony this morning.

Farry and Hogan opened the program. The Lower Southampton Township Police Honor Guard presented colors, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Lower Southampton Township Board of Supervisors Chairman Kim Koutsouradis. The National Anthem was sung by 12th-grade members of the Neshaminy High School Select Choir.

Sarah Joy Mitchell was born in Meadowbrook to John and Betsy McClay Mitchell. She graduated from Neshaminy High School in 2013 where she excelled in field hockey, basketball, and track & field. In 2017, she graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in biochemistry and served as platoon commander for Virginia Tech’s Naval ROTC. She secured her commission in May 2017 and reported to the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham in June that year. The destroyer was deployed to the Middle East from its home port at NAS Norfolk, Virginia.

“Ensign Sarah Mitchell is a local hero who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving her country. I am honored to have had a part in naming this bridge as a part of ensuring Sarah’s memory will live on forever right here in her community of Lower Southampton Township,” said Farry.

“Ensign Sarah Mitchell was one of Lower Southampton’s best and brightest and her life was lost far too soon. I was proud to work with Senator Frank Farry to rename this bridge in her memory so she is never forgotten,” said Hogan.

“The renaming of this bridge ensures that the legacy of Sarah’s sacrifice is enshrined in the daily life of our community,” said Peter Chong, Deputy District Director for Congressman Fitzpatrick.

“Our family kayaked and canoed under this bridge for years and had many picnics at Plawicki. Sarah would truly love this,” said Betsy Mitchell during the ceremony.

Sarah’s brother Kevin Mitchell added: “I was proud every day to call Sarah my sister.”

Her aunt and godmother Vicki Brennan recalled a conversation with young Sarah: “When she was twelve years old, Sarah told me she was a proud American and when she grew up, she was going to be in the Navy.”

Ensign Mitchell made the ultimate sacrifice while serving her country and will be remembered with respect and distinction.