Honey Brook Township was divided from Nantmeal Township in 1789. The name was derived from the word Nantmeal itself, meaning “sweet stream.” In 1815, the village of Waynesburg was formed after a schoolmaster by the name of Stinson purchased a lot or common byway of speculation along Horseshoe Pike (US 322). He had the lot surveyed into town lots and made a lottery. Those holding lots along the pike took possession and promptly paid for their tickets, while the lots behind took longer to sell.
The year 1884 brought more changes to the village and township. The railroad from Philadelphia-Downingtown-Lancaster was completed and ran along the south side of Horseshoe Pike. The railroad caused a problem for the village: there was another Waynesburg in western Pennsylvania. The freight was being routed to the wrong stations. Hence, the name was changed from Waynesburg to Honey Brook.
As the town grew, a petition was circulated in 1891 for the town to be incorporated into a borough. Almost every homeowner signed. With the incorporation as a borough, the main problems to overcome were: street lighting, sidewalks, and several years later, water.
The borough accepted public water in September 1896. Electric streetlights were installed after much discussion in 1915. Before that, gas lamps were used to light the streets. Over the years, boardwalks were replaced by bricks, then by concrete sidewalks. There are still two brick sidewalks in the borough. Horseshoe Pike, formerly Main Street, has the only fully paved sidewalks in the borough.
When the borough was incorporated, the census was around 700. As of the census in 2000, the population has doubled.
The oldest organization in Honey Brook Borough is the United Methodist Church. The longest continuous business is W.L. White’s & Sons. You can read more area history at our local library.