Community

The Borough of Malvern is a unique small town located in southeast Pennsylvania. Malvern is rich in history with a vintage look and historic locations including the Paoli Memorial Grounds. The Borough is known for its strong sense of community. Locals and visitors enjoy various annual celebrations from Victorian Christmas to the Memorial Day Parade. Malvern is a pedestrian-friendly town, the perfect place to spend the day with family and friends, shopping for that special gift, antiquing for that exceptional find then enjoying a cappuccino or cup of tea at the local café.

Read more about Malvern below the map

A Brief History of Malvern

Malvern was originally three tracts of land (John Burgess, Ekial Bowen, Edward Pritchard) that were given as Welsh grants in 1631 to Quakers who responded to William Penn.  Known as the West Chester Intersection, after an 1832 rail line to West Chester joined the Philadelphia Columbia Railroad under construction, this town developed slowly in the beginning.  By the time it was called Malvern in the 1870’s and incorporated on August 13, 1889 things were booming.  For this reason there is a high concentration of buildings from the 1880-1910 period.  

(The following is exerpted, with permission, from The Willis Towne Crier - Volume 23, November 2005, Pg 7)

History's Mystery Unravelled

Have you ever wondered what the connection is between Malvern Borough, the larger geographic area known as Malvern, and Willistown Township?  If you recently moved to the area, it can be a bit confusing.

Malvern Borough is a separate municipality situated approximately, between Paoli Pike and Lancaster Pike and Sugartown Road and a curved boundary beginning at King Street near the firehouse and ending on Paoli Pike near the Rustmont Townhomes community.  It is not part of Willistown Township; however, it once was.  That was before the borough was known as Malvern.

In the early 1870’s the Pennsylvania Railroad began making extensive track and roadbed improvements to its rail lines that were built as early as the 1830’s in the western suburbs.  A new station was built, in the area we know today as Malvern Borough, to replace one that had been destroyed by fire.  The new station was named Malvern by the Pennsylvania Central (RR) Company.  This appears to have been the first use of this name in the area.  Prior to becoming known as Malvern, people used the name West Chester Intersection, or just Intersection, to identify the area.  This grew out of a short railroad line begun in the 1830’s to connect West Chester, the county seat, with the “main line” of the Pennsylvania Railroad.  The intersection of the two railroads was near the current Channing Avenue and King Street intersection in the borough.

By the 1880’s, some residents had concluded that the northern area of Willistown Township-the area now defined as Malvern Borough, through which the rail lines ran – was different from the more agrarian southern end. They felt they had different civic issues, i.e. schools, paved streets, sidewalks, streetlights, and – would you believe? – tax allocation?  Some residents had a perception that their tax money was being used more for the benefit of the wealthier farmers living in the southern end of Willistown Township.  A move to secede from Willistown grew, culminating in August 1889, when Malvern Borough’s charter of incorporation became effective.  The name Malvern was a natural, because most people had begun to refer to the little village by that name as a result of the station stop.

As for why there is a much larger geographic area known as Malvern, it’s due to the post office system.  Well into the 20th century, mail could be addressed to “Frazer, PA” or “Glen Loch, PA” for example, and be processed through one of these small post offices.  Once the Malvern post office was established, it gradually became the primary processing facility, making the smaller ones redundant and they were closed. In 1963, the USPO established the zip code system and Malvern was designated 19355. Henceforth, mail had to be addressed "Malvern, PA 19355," which defines a large geographic area--well beyond just the Borough of Malvern. When someone asked where you live, it was natural to say “Malvern” because that’s your address.

So the next time someone asks, “What’s the difference between Malvern Borough and Malvern?” or “What is Malvern Borough’s connection with Willistown?” you’ll be ready with the answer.  Right??

Upcoming Events

xx Malvern Fire Company Fair

07-15-2008