Wayne Station, 1948 It's hard to imagine Wayne train station not surrounded by cars or activity. This placid moment at the station was captured on August 15, 1948, when it was still operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad. At this time, the depot's original slate roof had been replaced, though its original weathervane on the trackside tower remained. To the right of the station is the old freight house, built ca. 1884. It was used by the railroad through the 1960s, when local railroad freight traffic had slowed and there was no reason for the building to remain. Currently on the site of the old…

The Wayne Presbyterian Church is the oldest religious institution in downtown Wayne. It was founded by J. Henry Askin, who started developing the town and lived in the Louella mansion. In 1870, Askin had the first church built (the building at right), which was designed by David S. Gendell, Esq. The building at left was built for the growing congregation in 1893, from a design by architect John Fraser. The church remains active in the community, and its buildings are well-preserved. -- Greg Prichard, Radnor Historical Society

This snapshot is a rare view of a mid-20th century drug store in Radnor Township. From the signs in the window, it appears that the store had a lunch counter and sold cigarettes, candy and Coca-Cola. The uniquely designed building still stands, though it is no longer a drug store. This building is located on Lancaster Avenue in Villanova, close to the intersection with N. Spring Mill Road. It was no doubt a popular hangout for Villanova students, probably akin to what Campus Corner is today. The building has recently been an oriental rug gallery. At extreme left is a corner of a classic …

Summer is now upon us, and so today we look back at how Radnor residents kept cool over 100 years ago. The Wayne Natatorium, located at what's now Willow Avenue in North Wayne, operated between 1895 and 1903. It was fed by water from Gulf Creek, and is thought to be the largest man-made swimming pool of its era at 100 by 500 feet. One of the only remnants of the pool is its old office, which has been heavily modified but still stands as a private home at the bend of Willow Avenue. -- Greg Prichard, Radnor Historical Society

Wallace Smith's Birthday Party, 1892 If you think today's Main Line parents throw overly lavish birthday parties, think again. In early June, 1892, Wallace N. Smith had his birthday party at 220 Audubon Avenue (now called South Wayne Avenue) in Wayne. The lucky boy had 81 guests to the party, most of whom are numbered and identified on the back of the photograph. From this picture we can see not only how children dressed and posed for photos in the late 19th century, but also how the then-new Wayne homes were painted and how their grounds were planted. -- Greg Prichard, Radnor Historical …

This photograph, taken by Ed Miller on October 29, 1955, shows the old West Wayne Station of the Philadelphia & Western Railway. The station was one of the stops in Radnor Township between 69th Street Terminal and Strafford. The P&W abandoned their western branch including this station less than a year after this photo, and the right-of-way has since become the Radnor Trail. The rest of the line still operates as SEPTA's Norristown High Speed Line. West Wayne Station was located at West Wayne Avenue, and this photograph is shown on a new sign on the trail commemorating the former station. The…

Founded in 1887, L.K. Burket & Bro. was a significant business in the history of Wayne. It operated until 2005; today Adelberger's Florist remains the only Wayne business from the early years of the town. Burket's originally sold coal, hay, wood and feed, and later evolved into largely a heating and cooling business until it closed. The building in the background remains, though it and a garage on the property were listed on the Radnor Historical Society's recent list of the township's endangered buildings. Freight cars from the Pennsylvania Railroad came directly from the railroad to the …

Following the First World War, Radnor residents decided to honor local casualties of the war by erecting a memorial. The Chew family donated a piece of their land at the corner of Lancaster Avenue and Iven Avenue (the corner of today's Micro Center property), and famed sculptor R. Tait McKenzie created the bas-relief bronze panel depicting soldiers with bayonets. Louis S. Adams was the architect of the memorial's wall. Township residents were asked to subscribe to the project, with a goal of raising $10,000. On Memorial Day, Sunday, May 28, 1922, the memorial was dedicated. U.S. Senator …

When the Wayne Opera House suffered a major fire in 1914, it was converted into an office/retail building. This picture was taken shortly after it was re-constructed. Today, Scottrade and Sign Studios operate in this building. Note that East Lancaster Avenue was just a bumpy dirt road when the picture was taken. -- Greg Prichard, Radnor Historical Society

This is the stable of Car-Alan, one of Wayne's great estates, photographed when new. Easily walkable from downtown Wayne, Car-Alan was designed by famed architect William L. Price for Alan Reed, of the famous Philadelphia men's clothing store Jacob Reed's Sons. Price also designed the Reed store at 1424 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. Car-Alan still stands at South Wayne and Pembroke Avenues, though the property was sub-divided. The ca. 1898 stable facing Louella Avenue was converted into a single family home in the 2000s, in a restoration project that earned the architects a 2005 Palladio …

When this photograph was taken in 1907, the Louella mansion had been a popular summer hotel for several years. In 1865, the mansion was built as a home for J. Henry Askin, founder of the town that would become Wayne. It was enlarged in the 1880s by George W. Childs and Anthony Drexel, developers of Wayne, and converted into a hotel. During the winter, it was used as the Armitage School for girls. Louella has recently been the subject of a development proposal. A local builder wanted to buy the mansion, convert it into 12 condominiums, and build a large garage to the east of the building. …

On July 5, 1942, this group of regular and auxiliary Radnor Township police officers gathered on the rear lawn of the old Township building, where the TD Bank now stands on East Lancaster Avenue in Wayne. The men in the back row are wearing Civil Defense helmets; during the war residents of many communities joined civil defense groups in anticipation of possible attacks on American soil. The involvement of the United States in the war started with an attack on U.S. soil, so these groups helped calm the nerves of Americans on the homefront, especially those near coastal cities. -- Greg …

A graduating class of Radnor High School posed for this undated photograph, in the early 20th century. It's hard to imagine a class this small graduating from Radnor, but consider that the first class, which graduated in 1897, had just four students. The photo was taken just outside the main entrance of the high school, which later became Radnor Middle School. The building was demolished in 2007. -- Greg Prichard, Radnor Historical Society

In the mid-20th century, anyone driving through Radnor Township saw unique signs like this one. Similar signs welcomed travelers to Wayne, St. Davids and Ithan.

This is the Sorrel Horse Inn, located on Conestoga Road in Ithan. It was demolished about 100 years ago, soon after this picture was taken in 1909, and stood on the property of today's Agnes Irwin School.

This view was taken from South Aberdeen Avenue, looking north. In the foreground is the intersection with Midland Avenue. The original St. Katharine of Siena Church is also seen from behind; it stands where the current church is today. The modern structure was built from the stones of the older church. 

This is the "Chetwynd" estate, on the edge of Garrett Hill. The mansion is now gone, and the massive Radnor House condominium (originally called Chetwynd after the mansion) is on the site.

Sometimes the most interesting photos are of the more recent past. This is a mid-1970s photograph of what was originally called the "Fried Building." Built on the site of Wayne's first movie theater by Harry Fried (who expanded his movie empire by building the Anthony Wayne Theatre around the corner), Fried tore down the old theater to build this commercial building. One of the original tenants in the 1930s was the Philadelphia Electric Company, which showed off electric appliances there. As seen here, the two storefronts were later occupied by Ladybug and Wayne's Rexall Pharmacy. Today, Kids…

This photograph shows life in downtown Wayne in 1930. It was taken by a projectionist at the Anthony Wayne Theatre, from the roof of thethen-two year old movie house. Today, many of these stores along North Wayne Avenue appear much as they did 81 years ago. —Greg Prichard, Radnor Historical Society

The Radnor Fire Company claims to have had the first motorized fire engine in the United States (and maybe the world). Pictured here is that engine, a Knox Hose and Chemical Engine manufactured in 1906. It was nicknamed the "Fireman's Herald." You can read about this engine, as well as the Radnor Fire Company's many other historical pieces of equipment, on the company's Web site. —Greg Prichard, Radnor Historical Society