​Historians Present Special Father's Day Weekend Walking Tour

NEW HOPE, PA — As a tribute to all New Hope fathers, the New Hope Historical Society will present a special Father's Day Walking Tour of Historic New Hope on Saturday, June 15 beginning at the Parry Mansion at 45 South Main Street.at 1 p.m.

The tour will highlight the lives of six fathers in New Hope’s history who helped enhance the town’s development and reputation over the past three centuries.

“By honoring their lives the Historical Society celebrates all fathers on their special day," said tour guide Roy Ziegler.

The tour will explore the lives of Benjamin Parry, Oliver Parry, Joshua Van Sant, Major Edward Randolph Parry, Don Walker, and Dr. Arthur J. Ricker, Benjamin Parry is known as the “Father of New Hope."

"He was so named because his rebuilt Hope Mill, which had been destroyed by fire and renamed the New Hope Mill, eventually led to the name of the town - Coryell’s Ferry - being changed to New Hope in 1837. His nephew, John Childs Parry, later became New Hope's first burgess (mayor).

Parry, a community leader for half a century, was a catalyst in New Hope becoming the industrial
and manufacturing capital of Bucks County in the early 19th century, according to Ziegler.

Benjamin Parry Oliver Parry Maj. Edward R. Parry Don Walker Dr. Arthur J. Ricker
Parry’s son, Oliver, managed the business of his aging father while beginning his career as a
major player in the development of Philadelphia’s western expansion. His wife Rachel was the
daughter of Revolutionary War hero and Philadelphia entrepreneur, Captain Edward Randolph.
Oliver and Rachel had twelve children, many of them born in New Hope. Among them were a
banker, a physician, and a Civil War hero.

Joshua Van Sant was the Father of Odette’s. He built the tavern in 1794. His daughter, Mary Van
Sant, married Lewis S. Coryell, a mayor of New Hope and one of the principals in the construction of the Delaware Canal through New Hope. Van Sant rebuilt Parry’s flour mill after it burned to the ground in 1790.Van Sant’s home on Mechanic Street, built in 1743 by Ichabod Wilkinson, is the oldest home in New Hope.

Twenty-four-year-old Edward Randolph Parry moved to Mankato, Minnesota with his younger brother, Richard. Together they established the city’s first commercial bank and a brokerage
company to help finance the expansion of the railroad industry in the Midwest.

Edward was the first citizen of Mankato to enlist in the Union Army. After commanding three
forts and serving as a commandant of a military prison in Massachusetts he was promoted to the
rank of major before retiring due to failing health. He and his wife Frances had three daughters,
Mary, Rachel, and Catherine.

Don Walker, arguably the father of the Bucks County Playhouse because of his negotiations with
New York investors, was one of the greatest orchestrators and arrangers for Broadway shows in
history. He was the orchestrator for 80 Broadway shows including South Pacific, Oklahoma, and
Fiddler on the Roof. Walker also brought Odette Myrtil to New Hope as manager of the
Playhouse Inn. He is the father of longtime New Hope Historical Society board member and
officer, Ann Leibgold.

Dr. Arthur J. Ricker was the “Father of the New Hope Historical Society. His vision and drive
created the society in 1958, preserving the 1790 English-style Parry Barn, the 1787 Georgian-
style Parry Mansion, and the 1891 Victorian New Hope/Ivyland Train Station. He was the first
president of the society, serving ten years in that office in two non-consecutive terms. Through
his and society’s efforts most of downtown New Hope was included on the National Register of
Historic Places.

Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at newhopehistorical.org.