Spotlight on:
Renovo
THE BEGINNING OF RENOVO by Lou Bernard
A few years ago, at a local school history event, one of the students listed William Baird as the founder of Renovo. When I asked him about it, he said that Baird was listed as the first settler of the area, and I had to explain the difference between“ first settler” and“ town founder.” This is an especially important difference in the case of Renovo, which was not founded by a person, but by a company.
As the railroad industry grew, the companies began looking for good places to set up communities. Trains need to be maintained and staffed, and having a small community was the best way to do that. The Philadelphia and Erie Land Company was formed by a group of Pennsylvania investors, and purchased a large tract of land, much of it from Baird. They designated it as a place for the trains to stop, and railroad employees to live with their families. The borough was founded in 1866. And they named it“ Renovo,” which is Latin for“ rebirth.”
As they laid out the community, they numbered the cross streets, for ease of navigation. And they named the other streets after the Great Lakes, because why not? This led to Huron Avenue, Erie Avenue, and Ontario Avenue.
Renovo was incorporated in February of 1866, and the first election was held in May. The first Chief Burgess was James F. Hall.(“ Chief Burgess” essentially means“ like a mayor.”) William P. Baird was elected Justice of the Peace, and he swore in all the other elected officers. Which makes me wonder how Baird got sworn in, but I’ ve never figured that out.
The first meeting of borough council was held on June 1, 1866, at a local tavern. Eugene Metz, elected clerk of the borough, took notes at a salary of thirty-six dollars per year. The next meeting was set for July 9th, at the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad Offices.
I’ m sure they had no idea that they were creating a place that would still be an important Clinton County spot over a century and a half later, but Renovo has survived floods and fires, and still remains an active little place.
- Lou Bernard is a local writer and can be reached at loulhpa @ gmail. com.
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