Description: In the 1880s, Berwyn had several livery stables that either boarded horses or rented them to the public for riding or driving. The Kromer Livery Stable, photographed by Julius Sachse in 1888, was located on the south side of the Lancaster Turnpike, approximately half a block west of today’s Woodside Avenue. Fritz Lumber extended west on the opposite side of today’s Lancaster Avenue. Interestingly, one of the keys to firmly identifying the precise location of this stable is the home seen behind the barn in this image. Located one block south on the south side of Berwyn Avenue, with the front of that home facing the viewer, that structure still stands today. In addition to the stable’s commercial use, Mr. Kromer loved fine horses, and additionally kept many of his racing horses which he used to pull sulkies for racing at county fairs. In the early decades of the 20th century, with livery stables no longer in use, the property became increasingly abandoned. The structures on the property were razed between 1950-1952, and the Berwyn Hardware store was built. That hardware store is now out of business, and in 2014 the former establishment serves as a dentist’s office. Sometime after this image was taken, the Kromer family built a hotel on the property which aroused much controversy with the community. Kromer believed his hotel would become more competitive if he could obtain a liquor license. He applied for such a license, but at least 800 signed petitions against his proposal filed by Berwyn townsfolk resulted in the rejection of Kromer’s application. Reeseville and later Berwyn remained a dry town until 1940-41 when the Berwyn Tavern opened, across the Lincoln Highway from where Kromer proposed to open his drinking establishment. - Herb Fry and Roger Thorne
