Sycamore Mills

Sycamore Mills is the small 18th-century mill village inside Ridley Creek State Park, on Ridley Creek along Sycamore Mills Road. It grew up around a mill site and was previously named Bishop's Mill and Providence Mill. Its surviving buildings, including the miller's house, the office, the library and several small mill workers' houses, are private homes, so you see them from the road. The area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Ridley Creek State Park Historic District.

Seeing the Village

The best way to see Sycamore Mills is on foot or by bike along the paved multi-use trail, which follows Sycamore Mills Road beside the creek. The historic houses are lived in. Stay on the road and trail, and do not walk onto the private lots or into the buildings.

A Village Before the Park

DCNR's history of the park starts here: before Ridley Creek was a state park, there was a working mill community on the creek. The state bought the land in the 1960s with Project 70 funds and opened the park in August 1972 (Park History).

The Dam and the Fly-Fishing Water

Sycamore Mills Dam marks one end of Ridley Creek's special fishing stretch. From the dam to the mouth of Dismal Run, the creek is catch-and-release and fly-fishing only. Outside that stretch, regular Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission rules apply, and the creek is stocked with trout (Fishing).

Good For

• A history-minded walk or ride on the paved trail.
• Anglers heading for the fly-fishing water.

Maybe Skip If

• You want to tour historic buildings inside: these are private homes. For a hands-on look at 18th-century farm life, visit the Colonial Pennsylvania Farmstead in the park on weekends from April to November.