The New Holland Branch traces its origin back to the railroad boom of the mid-19th century. Entrepreneurs and remote communities alike saw the potential for economic gain in connecting rural hamlets and villages to the markets of the larger cities. Chester County’s unique mix of rich agricultural lands and thriving industrial valleys beckoned regional railroads such as the East Brandywine Railroad, chartered on March 31, 1854. The East Brandywine Railroad was intended to link the booming mills and villages along the east branch of the Brandywine River and the productive farmlands stretching beyond the Welsh Mountains, with the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Main Line at Downingtown. Construction began in 1860 with the "Pennsy" Railroad as a major contributor. The first section opened in 1861 with ten stations stretching from Downingtown to Waynesburg (now Honey Brook). Milk from area farms, including Springton Manor, was hauled to urban creameries and markets twice a day. As demand grew, service eventually expanded to four round trips, and the line expanded through towns such as Leola, New Holland and Conestoga. The railroad’s ownership changed hands several times over the remainder of the 19th century, until in 1903, when it was absorbed into the Pennsylvania Railroad system as the New Holland Branch.

As the automobile became more prevalent in the early 20th century, the New Holland Branch,

{R Struble}

Robert G. Struble, Sr.

like many smaller branches or short lines, declined. Passenger service ended in December 1930, while freight service remained on a declining basis. In 1950, when the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which also originated from an abandoned rail bed, was expanded through Chester County, the line was used to haul sand to Glenmoore for turnpike construction. The railway’s last use, into the 1960’s, was hauling stone from the Cornog Quarry.

As the 1970’s dawned, many of the remaining large railroads merged and abandoned more of the short lines no longer active. In 1972, the Penn Central Railroad (the merged Pennsylvania and New York Central Railroads) abandoned the New Holland Branch. As the number of abandoned railways grew, recreation and open space advocates began to see these abandoned right-of-ways as important and useful corridors for humans and wildlife alike. The "Rails to Trails" movement was gaining momentum throughout the nation as Chester County and State Park officials were settling on the abandoned New Holland Branch railway as the path for Marsh Creek State Park’s sewer connection.

"My father [Robert G. Struble, Sr.], as an early advocate of watershed integrity, supported on-site treatment of the park’s sewage", recounts Robert G. Struble, Jr., who succeeded the elder Struble as Executive Director of BVA. "He was disappointed over the decision to construct a sewer line to Downingtown, but recognized that actively opposing the plan would not be constructive. Instead, he challenged those involved by asking ‘Can’t we get something more out of this?’". The rails to trails concept was seen as a way to provide an additional community amenity with the project. The Struble Trail was "only the third success story in the state in making use of abandoned right-of-ways," according to then Chief of Recreation and Conservation for the Pennsylvania Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Jerry R. Wettstone, quoted in an October 1979 article in The Downingtown Record. Wettstone went on to say that "… Bob Struble had the push…to keep it moving" after the trail was envisioned in 1973.

Robert Struble, Sr. began a term as County Commissioner in 1976. That same year, Chester County began receiving funds for the development of Struble Trail through grants from DCA, and matching funds from federal Community Development Block Grants, the Uwchlan Township Municipal Authority (who operates the sewer line under the trail), and later the Department of Interior’s Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service. According to The Downingtown Record article, members of the Chester County Trail Club had hiked the abandoned rail bed as early as January 1972. The official opening and dedication of the Robert G. Struble Hiking and Biking Trail took place on October 20, 1979. In his remarks at the dedication, Struble stated that "the strength of a nation depends upon the manner in which it handles its basic resources – human resources and natural resources." Struble characterized his namesake trail as "an example of governments that care about both of these resources." He also expressed hope that users’ experiences on the trail "will make them more aware of the need to conserve our natural resources everywhere."