Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
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Source: April 1940 Volume 3 Number 2, Pages 42–44

Easttown post-offices (continued)

Katherine M. Stroh

Page 42

Waterloo Mills

Old inhabitants insist upon calling this little cluster of buildings "Cabbagetown." (Cabbage, an old word, which means to bag to poach or to pocket, in the sense of to steal or to purloin.) This name originated in the instance of Waterloo Mills about 1830, when a tenant miller was accused by the farmers of tolling the grain excessively.

This post-office was established through the influence of the Davis family, who for so many years owned farms, the grist mill and the blacksmith shop.

William Steele, brother-in-law of John W. Davis, and the tenant miller, was postmaster, from 1853 to 1860. Stephen Stout carried the mail from the Spread Eagle, it is asserted, in his hat. The late Davis Beaumont is our authority for the statement that on occasions he found the carrier up in the woods chopping down trees, with the day's mail of four to six letters deposited on a stump, awaiting his leisure to make the delivery. The office was in the grist mill.

Steele was succeeded by Simon M. Dutton, 1860-1863, Maylon H. Wilds, 1863-1866, and Charles McCoy 1866-1867, in which latter year the office was discontinued. McCoy removed to the grist and saw mill near St. Peter's Episcopal Church near Cedar Hollow.

All the postmasters of this first post-office in Easttown were tenant millers and the office was in the mill. The office probably served the Crosby and Moore Woolen Mills lower down on the Darby Creek, also the saw mill above, operated by Jabez and Eber Beaumont. None of these prosperous mills exist today, and another picturesque occupation has thus almost passed.

Waterloo Mill Post Office

Page 43

Leopard Post Office

Leopard

John W. Hayman, schoolmaster, storekeeper, Justice of the Peace, a recently discharged soldier of the Civil War, a leading member of the Newtown Baptist Church and Son of Temperance, was the first postmaster, April 2, 1866-1878. Samuel Bewley of Reeseville carried the mail from the station at a yearly pittance of $100, which was barely enough for the upkeep of the old gray mare and light wagon. George Stanley followed at a $50 increase. Hayman was followed as postmaster by Charles D. Smedley, 1878-1880, Mrs. Lydia S. "Hayman, (nee Smedley), wife of John W. Hayman, 1880-1890, Miss Sallie J. Embree, former school teacher at the Leopard, 1890-1891, Mrs. Mary Worrell, wife of Hilton Worrell, storekeeper, 1891-1907.

All of the above were Republicans and the office was in the store, which was formerly the Leopard Tavern.

Louis P. Malin carried mail from Berwyn to the Leopard postoffice and to Ogden before Leopard became part of the rural route served from the Berwyn post-office.

Devon

Devon had its origin in the purchase of several large farms south of the railroad, and the erection of many country houses and the immense fashionable Devon Inn by L. Coffin and Jos. B. Altemus of Philadelphia.

The Inn was managed by two brothers, George and Harry Crump who, with their father, ran the old Colonnade at First and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia. It burned down in 1881 and a brick structure was erected in its place. The building was used as a hotel during the next decade. It was idle for a few years, then opened as a school for girls. After a few seasons, it was again used as a hotel. In September 1928, the Valley Forge Military Academy was opened there. The building was again destroyed by fire in 1929, and the ruins still stand, the Valley Forge Military Academy having removed to North Wayne.

The proximity to the city of Philadelphia, the fashionable society at the Inn, and the beautiful, healthful neighborhood attracted many other Philadelphians, who preferred their own homes to

Page 44

hotel life. So many handsome houses and estates surrounding the Inn were built. The business district was confined to a small section near the railroad station - a grocery, a drug store and a large livery stable belonging to the Inn.

The first station was a small frame building just east of the bridge of the Welsh Line or Baptist Road. From there a wide boardwalk led up to the Inn. William Reed Lewis was the station agent, and also the first postmaster, 1883-1887, first at this station and later at the new brown stone station near Waterloo Avenue. Lewis was a Democrat and the Cleveland administration appointed him Consul to Tripoli.

Lewis was followed as postmaster by Joseph Rex, 1887-1839, David S. Hergishimer, 1889-1893, both Republicans and druggists. The latter for a time was Justice of the Peace. The post-office was in the brick drug store.

The Pennsylvania Railroad then built a separate structure close to the station for the post-office and Dennis O. Sullivan (O'Sullivan originally), the keeper of the Livery stable, became the postmaster, 1893-1907. His clerk was Miss Mertio T. Gillis, (later Mrs. M. J. Hallett), who became the postmistress 1907-1933. Her clerks were Laura MoCone, Bess Gillis (later Mrs. John Henderson), Mabel Hart (now Mrs. Harold Smith), Helen Eadie (now Mrs. Albert Pearson), and Mrs. Arabelle Hart Mayfield, appointed clerk May 16, 1927.

Charles L. Lehman, druggist and Democrat, followed October 6, 1933 to June 30, 1939, with the same clerks that served during Postmaster Lehman's regime.

On July 1, 1939, Captain Charles Clancy, a retired Army officer, received appointment as postmaster.

First Devon Post Office