(rshsdepot) Bryn Athyn, PA

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Photo:
http://www.suburbanites.com/postcard/images/burbs003.jpg

Bryn Athyn Post Office celebrates its centennial

By: Joe Harrington, Staff Writer April 15, 2002
The Globe

At first glance, the Bryn Athyn Post Office on Fetters Mill Road looks like
a post office from an old western movie.

The back of the building still has the look of an old train station, which
it also housed for many years, with railroad tracks that run along the bank
of the Pennypack Creek.

On Tuesday, a number of local residents converged on the old post office to
celebrate its 100th anniversary. According to postal records, the Bryn Athyn
Post Office was established April 7, 1902.

To commemorate the event, Larry Eastwood, a retired postal service
supervisor, has prepared a limited edition special post card.

The Bryn Athyn Post Office and train station holds a special place in
Eastwood's heart. His boyhood home, which he lived in from 1943 until1969,
was right across the creek.

"I briefly worked at the post office around Christmastime when I was in high
school," Eastwood said. "I watched the train go by here for years."

Eastwood is a fountain of historical information about the post office and
the train station, which has been out of service since 1983.

One of the most famous stories surrounding the post office and station is
the tragic accident of 1921, when two trains crashed head-on killing 27 and
injuring 70. Eastwood said the ensuing fire killed more people than were
killed in the crash.

"The postmaster at the time was J. Russell Clayton, who notified the nearest
rescue squad," Eastwood said. "Trouble was, none of the local fire
departments had a rescue squad.

"The closest one was at Abington Hospital."

According to Eastwood, during the early days of the Bryn Athyn Post Office,
the postmaster served the dual roles of postmaster and train station agent.
When he wasn't selling stamps or sorting mail, the postmaster-train station
agent would sell train tickets and handle baggage.

Eastwood said he feels fortunate to have grown up in such a scenic area. He
envisions a bright future for the Bryn Athyn Post Office. All the residents
love the place and help with the upkeep, he said. At Christmas they install
decorative lights and they plant flowers in the pot outside the main
entrance in the spring. Residents regard it a meeting place.

"People come here from all over," Eastwood said. "It's like a rural post
office in suburbia."

Eastwood said SEPTA previously announced plans to put the train tracks back
into service, but not before 2006.

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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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