St. Thomas Catholic Church
St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church
430 Valleybrook Road


“Several country fairs were held in the neighborhood each summer, at Concordville, at Elam, at Chadds Ford, at the Catholic Church in Chester Heights, and in Chelsea. Crowds of people came to them from miles and miles around” (Hannum, p. 78).
The earliest masses of St. Thomas the Apostle were held in the home of Thomas Willcox in the Ivy Mills area beginning in 1729. The church building was constructed in 1852 on land donated by the Willcox family.
During the 1924 tour, the church building was covered with an exterior stucco that was not removed to reveal the underlying stones until 1937. Despite the changes in the landscape, the church remains a vibrant part of our community. The land surrounding the property has developed, and Valleybrook Road now sees a steady stream of traffic leading to Route 1. The view down Valleybrook towards St. Thomas has changed with a thick lining of trees and shrubs along the road, but the church's presence is still felt.
