Romansville is among a handful of Chester County villages and hamlets that were initially formed much like developments today, in individual one-acre lots laid out along a road. The earliest recorded lot was purchased in 1773 and immediately donated to the fledging Methodist Society for use as a burial ground. The hamlet finally took off when John Romans built a blacksmith shop on the Strasburg about 1800.
Romansville was a busy Sunday destination with strong influence from both Quakers and Methodists. The Quakers came into being after they split from the orthodox Bradford Meeting and built a handsome brick Meetinghouse in 1846. The Romansville Methodist Church, built in 1894, stood on a small knoll down the road.
Woman in Romansville. Image courtesy of the Chester County HIstorical Society.
Romansville competed with Marshallton for travelers during the subsequent drover-and-wagoner era.
John and Mary Shofstall, in front of their produce truck, 1914. Image courtesy of Jason Strouth.
Perhaps because of its proximity to Marshallton 3.5 miles to the east and the odd angles of its crossroads, Romansville never developed into an orderly town with shops and service alleys. Its best years of commerce, from the 1830s to 1840s, were generated by the mechanically-minded Romans family. They ran home-based or small shops as tinsmiths, carpenters, pump manufacturers and plumbers.
John Romans barn.
Romansville Friends Meeting, circa 1845. Image courtesy of Chester County Historical Society.
Romansville competed with Marshallton for travelers during the subsequent drover-and-wagoner era. Travelers going west to Lancaster generally stopped first in Marshallton. Romansville catered to eastward travelers – mainly dust-covered drovers who found an oasis with two taverns, a general store, and a small eatery called the Village Inn that advertised “domestic wines, malt, and brewed liquor.” Romansville is noted for having retained many of its early log homes.