Ridley Creek is a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

and

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

counties,

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in the

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.Gertler, Edward. ''Keystone Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2004. The entire

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

is in the suburban

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

area, but the upper creek and extensive park lands on the creek retain a rural character, while the mouth of the creek has long been heavily industrialized. Its watershed is considered to have the highest quality water in Delaware County. The creek was named for the parish of Ridley,

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

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Course

Two branches of the creek rise between Malvern and Frazer in Chester County, and then join about a mile south in East Goshen Township (West Chester) just southeast of the intersection of Paoli Pike and Route 352. The creek flows south, then southeast to enter Delaware County and Ridley Creek State Park. Leaving the park, it passes the

Tyler Arboretum Tyler Arboretum is a nonprofit arboretum located at 515 Painter Road, Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is open daily except for major holidays; an admission fee is charge ...

and the town of

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, while entering a deep gorge. It passes local parks in Rose Valley and the Taylor Memorial Arboretum in Wallingford. Before flowing into the tidal Delaware River, it forms the border between the city of

and the borough of Eddystone. The length from the confluence of the two branches to the mouth is about ; including the longer Northeast branch gives a length of about .

Watershed

The upper creek has Piedmont Upland geological features and the mouth has Coastal Plain features. Rocks include granite gneiss, mica schist, and sand and gravel. Seventeen municipalities, with a population of about 62,000, are included in the watershed. The 40,000 residents of Upper Providence, Nether Providence, and Middletown townships, and

use 2.7 million gallons per day of drinking water supplied from Aqua Pennsylvania's Media plant.

History

Olof Persson Stille, a Swedish millwright who arrived in the area in 1641, settled on the north bank of the creek in present-day Eddystone, and the creek was called Olle Stille's Creek. Thomas Holme's map of 1687 labeled the creek "Preest Cr." next to a land grant at the mouth of the creek labeled "Preest" and shows land grants from

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

extending the length of the creek, into the Welsh Tract at the source. Water mills were established along the creek early in its history, including the Providence Mills gristmill in 1718, and the Old Mill in Rose Valley in 1789. Providence Mills, located in present-day Ridley Creek State Park and now known as Sycamore Mills, expanded to include a nail factory and a saw mill which operated until 1901. The Old Mill started as a snuff mill, then became a paper mill, and finally a woolen

textile mill Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...

, which operated until about 1880. In 1826 there were 15 mills operating on the creek, including gristmills, sawmills, cotton mills rolling and slitting mills, snuffmills, a tilt mill, and a woolen mill. The Leiper Railroad, which has a claim to be America's first railroad, operated from 1810-1828 between Thomas Leiper's quarry on Crum Creek to tidewater on Ridley Creek, a distance of about three-fourths mile. From 1906-1956 the

Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railway locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, Eddystone in the early 20th century. The com ...

operated north of the mouth of the creek along the Delaware in Eddystone. Today an

Exelon Exelon Corporation is an American public utility headquartered in Chicago, and incorporated in Pennsylvania. Exelon is the largest electric parent company in the United States by revenue and is the largest regulated electric utility in the Uni ...

generating plant operates in the area. In 2006 Harrah's Chester established a harness racing track and casino near the south bank of the creek at its confluence with the Delaware River. File:RCSPCreeka1.JPG, In Ridley Creek State Park File:LongPointRidleyCreek.JPG, Long Point in Rose Valley File:MouthRidleyCreek.JPG, Mouth of Ridley Creek on the Delaware River

Tributaries

* Vernon Run * Spring Run * Dismal Run *Hunters Run

Notes

References

* * *

External links

U.S. Geological Survey: PA stream gaging stations

DCNR page for Ridley Creek State ParkChester-Ridley-Crum Watershed Association
{{authority control Rivers of Pennsylvania Tributaries of the Delaware River Rivers of Chester County, Pennsylvania Rivers of Delaware County, Pennsylvania