Home also to the highly regarded boys’ school Devon Prep, the 46-acre Jenkins Arboretum, furnisher extraordinaire Waterloo Gardens and a stretch of high-toned car dealerships, Devon combines with adjoining suburb Berwyn to form what government people-counters call a “census-designated place” that resides in both Tredyffrin and Easttown townships. Conestoga High School serves both communities. Local merchants seek a stronger spotlight on their brands and, to that end, Berwyn’s shops and sidewalks by the train station now host a daylong, promotional First Friday each month.  

“There’s the potential to create more of a town center in Berwyn,” says Nick Vandekar, president of the Berwyn-Devon Business and Professional Association. “It’s a place that needs a plan. We’re trying to get the two townships focused.”

Named for a Welsh village, Berwyn took root in 1877, two decades before the Devon Horse Show began. Berwyn’s historic Van Leer Log Cabin nestles in trees behind Conestoga High, and Fritz Lumber looks like it did when it helped establish the locale. Another singular structure in Berwyn is the office building Cassatt Crossing, named for A.J. Cassatt, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the early 20th century. Originally a theater and later a roller-skating rink, some of the converted building’s stage and screen persona has been preserved. 

For live and current performances, Berwyn boasts Footlighters Theater, one of the more accomplished community troupes in the region. The biggest names in show business played the late, lamented Valley Forge Music Fair on the northern edge of Devon. That stretch and, of course, the piece of Lancaster Avenue cutting through Devon and Berwyn are chockablock with all manner of retail outlets. Beyond the shopping districts, the area is noted for its comfortable, often woodsy neighborhoods.