Ridley Creek State Park
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Ridley Creek State Park is a Script error: No such module "convert". Pennsylvania state park in Edgmont, Middletown,[1] and Upper Providence Townships, Delaware County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park, about Script error: No such module "convert". north of the county seat of Media, offers many recreational activities, such as hiking, biking, fishing, and picnicking within preserved old-growth forest.[2] Ridley Creek passes through the park. Highlights include a Script error: No such module "convert". paved multi-use trail, a formal garden designed by the Olmsted Brothers, and Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation, which recreates daily life on a pre-Revolutionary farm. The park is adjacent to the John J. Tyler Arboretum. Ridley Creek State Park is just over Script error: No such module "convert". from downtown, Philadelphia between Pennsylvania Route 352 and Pennsylvania Route 252 on Gradyville Road.
History
Prior to European settlement, the Ridley Creek State Park area was home to the Lenni Lenape.[3][2] The area was originally settled by English Quakers and remained agrarian into the twentieth century. The oldest property is the 1683 Worrel House.[4] In 1718 a water mill, then known as Providence Mill, began to grind corn. In the late 18th century a plaster mill was established next to the grist mill. A rolling and slitting mill replaced the plaster mill by 1812, and became known as Bishop's Mills. Workers cottages, a dam, and several outbuildings complete the mill complex, now known as Sycamore Mills.[5] The mills operated until 1901, when they were damaged by fire.[6]
The bulk of the property was acquired into the state park system in the 1960s from the estate of well known horse breeder Walter M. Jeffords Sr. and his wife Sarah, a niece of Samuel D. Riddle. The Jeffords had originally acquired the land starting about 1912 in small parcels, until they had over Script error: No such module "convert"., which was the largest private undeveloped property in the Philadelphia area by the 1960s. By 1918 they had built a large mansion, now the park office, around a stone colonial farmhouse. Twenty-four other historic properties were located on the grounds, many farmsteads that had retained family ownership since the seventeenth century. These properties were acquired by the Pennsylvania State Parks system in the 1960s using "Project 70" funds, with facilities dedicated to public use during August of 1972.[7] In 1976 these properties were registered on the National Register of Historic Places as a national historic district.[8][9]
In 2024, Ridley Creek State Park was added to the National Old-Growth Forest Network, Pennsylvania's 32nd such woodland added to the registry.[2]
Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation
The Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation is a living museum on the Script error: No such module "convert". farm where the Pratt family lived from 1720 to 1820. Admission is charged and it is open to the general public on weekends from April through November.[10][11]
Recreation
The location of Ridley Creek State Park, just Script error: No such module "convert". from downtown Philadelphia, has led to its popularity. Ridley Creek is very popular with fishermen. It is stocked with trout by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. A portion of the creek is a designated catch and release area for fly fishing only. There is a wheelchair accessible fishing platform on a multi-use trail. The Script error: No such module "convert". of hiking trails at Ridley Creek State Park are popular with dog owners.[12] These trails pass through a variety of habitats. A Script error: No such module "convert". paved, multi use trail is open to jogging, bicycling and walking. The park also features a Script error: No such module "convert". equestrian trail.[13][14]
Nearby state parks
The following state parks are within Script error: No such module "convert". of Ridley Creek State Park:[15][16][17]
- Alapocas Run State Park (Delaware)
- Auburn Valley State Park (Delaware)
- Bellevue State Park (Delaware)
- Benjamin Rush State Park (Philadelphia County)
- Brandywine Creek State Park (Delaware)
- Delaware Canal State Park (Bucks and Northampton Counties)
- Evansburg State Park (Montgomery County)
- Fort Delaware State Park (Delaware)
- Fort DuPont State Park (Delaware)
- Fort Mott State Park (New Jersey)
- Fort Washington State Park (Montgomery County)
- Fox Point State Park (Delaware)
- French Creek State Park (Berks and Chester Counties)
- Lums Pond State Park (Delaware)
- Marsh Creek State Park (Chester County)
- Neshaminy State Park (Bucks County)
- Norristown Farm Park (Montgomery County)
- Wilmington State Parks (Delaware)
- White Clay Creek Preserve (Chester County)
- White Clay Creek State Park (Delaware)
References
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Sources
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- [[[:Template:NRHP-PA]] National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form] Jeffords' Estate
External links
- Ridley Creek State Park Official Website
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- Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation
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- State parks of Pennsylvania
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- Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
- Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
- Parks in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
- National Register of Historic Places in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
- 1972 establishments in Pennsylvania
- Protected areas of Delaware County, Pennsylvania
- Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania