Berwyn

School District: Tredyffrin-Easttown

Beginnings [1]

In early days many travelers passed through Easttown Township as they followed Lancaster pike across eastern Pennsylvania. A village, called at different times Cockletown, Reeseville, Glassley, and Gaysville, grew up in desultory fashion. The citizens decided to celebrate their centennial in 1877, and one of the Welsh settlers proposed to name the village after the Berwyn Hills overlooking the valley of the Dee River in Merionetshire, Wales. He said it was short, significant, and euphonius. Thus the village derived its present name. The former name of Reeseville was adopted when the post office was established November 12, 1861, and it was not dropped in favor of Berwyn until October 24, 1877, when Isaac A. Cleaver was the postmaster. The railroad station, three miles east of Paoli, changed its name from Reeseville to Berwyn the following spring.

1. Pinkowski, Edward. Chester County Place Names,, Sunshine Press, Philadelphia, 1962

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