[4] The Lenape inhabited the Delaware River region several centuries before the arrival of European explorers and traders.

The Okehocking Tribe of the Lenni Lenape Nation established small permanent villages along the river and its main tributaries.

Land adjacent to Stoney Creek in Ridley Township has been identified as a Native American town site.

[5] Native Americans significantly influenced the built environment through their network of paths laid out for travel and communication purposes.

Chester Pike is believed to have developed from a footpath created by the Lenni Lenape as their main thoroughfare in the area.

John Morton, signer of the American Declaration of Independence, was born and raised in a log cabin adjacent to East Ridley Avenue.

He later replaced the cabin with a brick house and began farming 133 acres (0.54 km2) in the Ridley Park area.

General George Washington led his troops down this earthen road to Wilmington and eventually to Brandywine to confront the British in 1777.

Consequently, a private elementary subscription school was founded in 1800 on a site at Chester Pike and Myrtle Avenue.

City dwellers, seeking relief from the urban crowds with their potential to spread malaria, a disease that was a major health concern at the time, quickly purchased the new homes being built.

[9] Seeing the success of this, Hinckley came up with the idea of putting in a rail line that would pass through Darby and continue all the way to the semi-rural city of Chester in what became known as the Darby Improvement[10] Hinckley's plans met with initial resistance from farmers, and at the end of the first year, he had managed to buy only one farm.

[11] In an effort to avoid his previous bad experience, in May 1871, Hinckley formed an association to acquire the land.

[7] Because of its beautifully landscaped streets and parks, and its 20-acre (81,000 m2) man-made lake, Ridley Park became popular in the late 19th century and early part of the 20th century as a summer resort for wealthy Philadelphians who built most of the Victorian style homes still lived in today.

It has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) and average monthly temperatures range from 33.4 °F in January to 78.2 °F in July.

While originally the Raiders referred to Native Americans from the Lenni Lenape Nation, the district has ceased use of most material relating to the tribe.

[23] The 2012 movie Silver Linings Playbook takes place in and around Ridley Park, which is credited at the end of the film.

While the community is not specifically mentioned in the script, a police officer can be seen wearing the initials "RPPD" on his collar.