Downtown Broomall, where West Chester Pike crosses Sproul Road, was a sleepy country crossroads in 1895. Yes, there was the ancient Drove Tavern and Moore’s General Store at the intersection. In the days before automobiles, there was the equivalent of a service station there as well – a blacksmith shop behind the tavern, to shoe horses and repair wheel rims and other wagon hardware. But things got exciting in 1896.
Trolley cars were first used in urban areas, but branched out to the suburbs. Business was good from Monday to Friday when people were commuting to work. But what to do on weekends? Some smart trolley operators built picnic grounds and amusement parks at the end of their lines and invited the public to come out for a ride in the country on weekends. And that is what happened in 1896 in Broomall when the West Chester Traction Company rented property along the north side of the Pike east of the Tavern – the area now occupied by Drexel Hill Pizza and on down past the CVS store.
What was there? An 1897 visitor said, “Pretty Broomall Grove, with its ancient trees, on the next property, belongs to the Morgan estate, and is rented by the trolley company as a picnic woods.”
Another eyewitness describes it:
“There is no more delightful pleasure trip than a ride over the new ten-mile trolley line of the West Chester Traction Company running out the historic West Chester turnpike from 63rd and Market Streets. The road is through one of the most beautiful and picturesque sections of country in the vicinity of Philadelphia. After a ride up hill and down dale through the breezy Delaware County hills, the cars run to Broomall Grove Park, where attractions have been provided for visitors. The fare has lately been reduced to 10 cents.” The newspaper articles noted that there was music and dancing every night except Sunday and Monday.
Broomall’s time in the sun was short-lived. A larger park was built west of Newtown Square and opened on Memorial Day in 1899 at Castle Rock, with a lot more attractions: “A steam merry-go-round, a shooting gallery, a dance pavilion, a dairy building where “dainty luxuries” were served, picnic grounds along Crum Creek, and hammocks and swings for young and old.”
The park at “Pretty Broomall Grove” lasted just three years and then vanished, replaced by a housing subdivision: “Broomall Grove.”
For more on the history of Marple, visit the Marple Historical Society website and Facebook page, and join the Society to keep up to date on coming events at www.MarpleHistoricalSociety.org.
