About the Philadelphia, Main line, Villanova, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Gladwyne, Pennsylvania Area real estate and homes for sale 

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The Bryn Mawr community, best known for its many excellent private schools and great colleges, straddles two counties and three townships. While more then half of Bryn Mawr lies in the Lower Merion Township, it also serves residents of the Radnor and Haverford townships. Nationally recognized as being the home of Bryn Mawr College and locally known as a very convenient place to live, Bryn Mawr has a population of over nine thousand residents. 

The town of Bryn Mawr was born in 1704 when Rowland Ellis, a welsh tobacco plantation owner, built a large manor house on the current geographic location of the town, calling it Bryn Mawr, meaning high hill. Later named Humphreyville after the Thomas and Humphrey families it belonged to, this small rural community began to grow. In about 1869, the Pennsylavnia Railroad established a new community, building a railway track, improving existing streets, opening new roads, planting trees, subdividing properties,and offering land for sale. Gradually, this new community, which once again adopted the name of Bryn Mawr, was transformed from a hamlet to an active, thriving town. 

By 1881, three hundred new dwellings joined the original twenty-one houses of old Humphreyville.The local population continued to grow,increasing by approximately two thousand residents every summer. As services grew in the area, summer residences became permanent homes. Towards the end of the nineteenth century,the Bryn Mawr Citizens’ Association was created to provide police protection. The Home News and the News were responsible for keeping Bryn Mawr residents informed. While the Bryn Mawr Trust Company and the Bryn Mawr National Bank addressed the financial needs of the growing town, the Bryn Mawr Water Company, the Bryn Mawr Hospital, the Bryn Mawr Ice Company and the Bryn Mawr Fire Company took care of basic services. 

As clubs, such as the Merion Cricket Club (1865), the Radnor Hunt Club (1887) and the Bryn Mawr Polo Club (1898) began to form; Bryn Mawr became more and more attractive to newcomers looking for good neighborhoods to settle in. Basic services led to lavish retail. Grocery stores, ice cream parlors, bakeries, millinery shops, shoe stores and lively stables provided residents with both necessities and luxuries. As beautiful and prestigious estates began to develop, as well as prominent educational facilities such as the Bryn Mawr Public School, the private Shipley and Baldwin School, and the nationally renowned Bryn Mawr College, the town of Bryn Mawr came to be known as a luxurious, exclusive community to live in. 

Bryn Mawr College, first created by Dr. Joseph E. Taylor in 1880, has now become an important focus of the town, and currently owns eighty acres of the first railroad property. In all, nine tenths of Bryn Mawr’s acreage holds educational facilities, which preserve and uses grand residences designed for the wealthy by the leading architects of the last century. Currently, the town continues to grow as new school and college structures as well as condominium and apartment buildings join these pre-existing buildings. 

As such, the Bryn Mawr community is changing its physical makeup while retaining the charm and heritage of its historical town. The square between the railroad station and Lancaster Avenue has been transformed from a park to a parking lot. New shops have taken over properties that are now adjacent to the railroad, offering a number
of shopping opportunities around the Bryn Mawr area. In addition to a number of specialty shops,the Bryn Mawr town center boasts of a variety of restaurants, coffee bars, bookstores, retail and second-hand clothing shops, a movie theater as well as The Point, a haven for singer-songwriters that draws audiences from around the Philadelphia area. The town of Bryn Mawr has chains such as the Borders and Barnes as Nobles bookstores, Acme grocery stores, CVS and Eckerd drug stores, as well
as Staples for school supplies. Other nationally known retail names such as Target, Best Buy, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Lowes, Circuit City, Home Depot and Ikea can be found in the nearby Norristown shopping complex. Furthermore, the largest mall of the east Coast, the King of Prussia Mall, is a mere twenty minute drive away. 

With many specialty services, Bryn Mawr is an extremely convenient and desirable community to live in. The Bryn Mawr Hospital serves a wide area, and offers a special sports medicine clinic in addition to its other services. For recreations, Bryn Mawr offers the Bryn Mawr playground and the Bryn Mawr Community center, which offers special athletic programs for residents of all ages. Bryn Mawr’s proximity to Philadelphia, which is eleven miles away, allows residents a change of pace from the suburban lifestyle. New York and Washington D.C are also relatively close by: New York is 105 miles away while DC is 130 miles away. The nearby New Jersey shore and the Pocono Mountain present the possibility for outdoor adventure.
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Gladwyne, a delightful village-like town of Lower Merion Township, is one of the premier living locations of the Philadelphia area. With four churches, a synagogue, a library that sponsors many activities, several schools, playgrounds, parks, businesses and retail shops, Gladwyne is a delightful center of activity that fulfills all the requirements of its residents and visitors.Originally called Merion Square by its first Quakersettlers in 1682, Gladwyne was the first village created in what is now known as the LowerMerion Township. Although some of the first structures erected in the town were log cabins,stone houses and mills soon followed along Mill Creek. While some of these structures are stillextant today, and have been converted into homes or offices, others are in ruins and stand as symbols of Gladwyne’s old mill industry. 

The number of new English and German settlers in Gladwyne soon outranked that of the Welsh. In 1830, new neighborhoods sprung along the newly constructed Philadelphia and Lancaster Railroad, bolstering the village’s commercial and residential life. However,Gladwyne was slightly more distanced from the railroad than other Lower Merion towns such as Villanova and Bryn Mawr, and thus remained more of a village than a town. Most of Gladwyne’s residents were farmers, whose social life revolved around the village’s
three churches. 

Soon after the Civil War, however, wealthy Philadelphia businessmen recognized Gladwyne’s charm and appeal. They began to purchase the existing farms and built summer residences that soon became year-round homes. As in other Main Line towns,this led to the development of large estates and luxurious mansions. In 1927,however, these large houses and plots of land were subdivided into smaller properties. Because of its small size, Gladwyne cannot offer its residents as wide a number of retail or businesses as its neighboring towns, although Bryn Mawr and Villanova are a few minutes away. However, the little village is rich with history and local flavor. One can still find luxurious English Tudor Manors, or large colonial homes, nestled in wide, park-like grounds that still serve as residences. Gladwyne is also well known for the Delaware Market House, an upscale specialty food store. While local shoppers rely on the Market House for everyday items, it is best known for its gourmet foods, which the establishment delivers to residents’ doors. 

Another local favorite is the famous Guard HouseInn (www.guardhouseinn.com). This historic Gladwyne building houses one of the finestrestaurants of the Philadelphia area. Originally erected in 1790, the Old Guard Inn was meant tobe a tavern, although it soon became the Merion Square Hotel, and is rumored to have housed George Washington during the Civil War. The Inn is renown for its world-class gourmet food and wine. Perfectly fitted to Gladwyne’s charming,rustic atmosphere, The Guard House Inn welcomes residents and visitors with warm hospitality and an old world, romantic candlelight setting. 

Finally, Gladwyne provides residents and visitors with a wide variety of parks and recreational centers. While it locally houses Rolling Hill Park, Valley Forge is a mere
20 minutes away, and offers various activities such as fly fishing, horseback riding, an R/C Model Airplane area, hiking and bicycling. Gladwyne, with its village-like atmosphere,small town center and rustic houses, allows both residents and visitors a glimpse into Pennsylvania and the nation’s past. Its quaint character, large mansions and safe neighborhoods, make Gladwyne one of the most sought-after residential communities of the Main Line.