Ridley Creek State Park Reaches 50th Milestone

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Volunteers build a trail at Ridley Creek State Park
Image via Frends of Ridley Creek State Park.
Volunteers build a trail at Ridley Creek State Park

Ridley Creek State Park wears its age well. The park officially turned 50 with a Friends of Ridley Creek State Park celebration Oct. 8 that included guided tours, a 5k Run, music, and food trucks, writes Claire Chmiel for Main Line Today.

Friends of Ridley Creek State Park is a nonprofit protecting and enhancing the park.

 “Ridley Creek State Park contains a historical record that has been unchanged for over 300 years,” said Jack Miller, president of the Friends of Ridley Creek.

Many of the park’s original buildings are still there, with several listed in the National Registry of Historic Places.

At one time, there was an 18th-century village within the boundaries of the current park that surrounded a mill. 

The park office is in the Hunting Hill Mansion, built by the Jeffords family in 1915.

Park property was purchased in the 1960s. Park facilities were dedicated to public use in August of 1972.

Today, there is public support and American Rescue Plan funds to maintain state parks like Ridley Creek, Miller said.

“We need to show the public that their voices have been heard and show them the resulting improvements,” he added.

Read more about the 50th anniversary of Ridley Creek State Park at Main Line Today.

Hiking Savvy takes you on a March 2021 hike through Ridley Creek State Park.

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