Sharon Parker recently brought a group of colleagues and friends to the Historic Leiper House for a private tour. Many know Sharon from her 25+ years of service to Wallingford-Swarthmore School District as a teacher, middle school principal, and superintendent; today she serves as Director of Ministry at Chambers Memorial Presbyterian Church in Rutledge.

Leiper House Guides Mary Ann Fiebert, Gerry Coyne, and Mary Bostic divided the large group into smaller tours to explore the house and grounds and learn about the remarkable story of the Leiper family.

The group’s next stop was historic Leiper Memorial Presbyterian Church in Ridley Township, founded by the Leiper family in 1818. Thomas Leiper purchased the land, financed construction of the original church, and supplied granite from his own quarries. His eldest son, George Gray Leiper, served as one of the original trustees. There are many Leipers in its graveyard. The building was destroyed by fire in 1849 and rebuilt, again using Leiper granite, the following year. 

After the Presbyterian congregation held its final service in 2012, the church found new life when it was purchased by Holy Myrrh-Bearers Ukrainian Catholic Church, bringing together two congregations from Clifton Heights and Chester. Holy Myrrh-Bearers’ Father Dan Troyan welcomed the group and shared the church’s rich history.

If you’d like to organize a private tour of the 1785 Leiper House, contact us.

The Leiper House is open for free tours, weather permitting, April through December, Saturdays and Sundays from 1–4 PM.

(photo) George Gray Leiper Stained Glass Window from Leiper Memorial Presbyterian Church – Donated to the Leiper House