Stepping into Historic Rochester

Stepping into Historic Rochester. Noteworthy Citizens. , The Borough of Rochester owes its existence to a group of hardy pioneers who recognized the area's potential and made their homes here. Their settlement laid the foundation upon which a group of entrepreneurs would shape Rochester into one of the premier transportation and manufacturing centers during the latter half of the Nineteenth Century. Future residents would bring local and national recognition to the borough through their personal achievements., The Camp Family , 1804-Present , The Camp (Kemp) family came from Germany in the early 1800s. Michael Camp Sr. was born in Hanover, Germany. His wife and he had ten children. Michael Camp Jr. was the owner of the Pavilion Hotel for a short period of time. He served on Rochester Borough Council and was a member of the Grace Lutheran Church. His son Henry was an organizer of the Rochester Heat and Light Company, the Peoples Electric Railway Company and the Ohio Bridge Company. He was also involved in the Point Bottle Works, Keystone Tumbler and the Olive Stove Works. Other notable Camps were Charles A. Camp his wife Edna (Gordon) his children Henry, Gordon and Glenn. The Camp family also produced three Beaver County Commissioners, and a mayor who served Rochester for twenty three years. The family is believed to be the oldest continuing family in Rochester., Reverend Francis Reno , 1758-1837 , Francis was the first known settler in 1799. His log cabin was built on property presently owned by Passavant Homes. Francis was an ordained pastor of the Episcopal Church and traveled throughout the area holding services in log cabins, barns, and outdoor groves. He and his wife Lydia (Savours) had seven sons and two daughters. Reno Street, is named in their honor., Ovid Pinney , 1793-1875 , Ovid arrived in Rochester in 1834 and pursued his specialty of buying and selling land. In 1853 he sold 407 lots along with some other tracks of land. He donated the land for the Masonic Fraternity building (still in use today), the land for our three downtown parks and the land for several Rochester churches. Ovid was a sponsor of Rochester's incorporation in 1849. His home was on Pinney Street, named after him, at the present location of the B.P.O. Elks Lodge., Socrates Adams Reno , 1819-1890 , Socrates was the grandson of Reverend Francis Reno. He was the captain and owner of a passenger boat named the St. Louis which traveled the Ohio River between Pittsburgh and St. Louis. At the end of the Civil War, he left the rivers and opened a furniture store on Madison Street. Reno's home still stands on Connecticut Avenue between Adams and Jefferson Streets., General Abner Lacock , 1770-1837 , Abner and his family arrived in the area from Virginia in 1796 and moved to Rochester in 1810. He was commissioned the first Justice of the Peace in Beaver County. His career included being the first representative to the State Legislature, the first Associate Judge of Beaver County and a member of the State Senate. He was made a Brigadier General of Pennsylvania Militia and in 1813 was elected by the State Legislature to a 6-year term in the United States Senate. Lacock promoted internal improvements in Pennsylvania and helped establish the State's public school system. He was appointed to survey and construct the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal in 1836. He and his wife Hannah (Eddy) had eight children. Lacock Cemetery and Lacock Street are named after him., Reverend Joseph H. Bausman , 1854-1924 , The Reverend resided in Rochester and was the author of the two volume book entitled The History of Beaver County and its Centennial Celebration in 1904. The book was a part of the Beaver County Centennial Celebration and was the result of his desire to preserve and record local history. He served as the first pastor of the Congregational Church and was a professor of English Literature at Washington and Jefferson College. Bausman was the president of the Beaver County Historical Society until his death in 1924. His house still stands on Delaware Avenue and is marked by a historical marker located in the front yard., Marcus Tullius Cicero Gould , 1792-1880 , Marcus was born in Rome, New York, and raised by his aunt. He was skilled in stenography and invented the Gould System of shorthand as well as the fountain pen. Marcus once lived in New Brighton and created two private boarding schools, including the state's first female-only seminary in 1833, before moving to Rochester in 1853. Along with Ovid Pinney, Gould planned the layout of land plots for the entire town. He also organized the Rochester Manufacturing Company and the Locomotive Works., Oliver B. Shallenberger , 1860-1898 , Oliver's early education was in the public schools of Rochester. He entered the Naval Academy at Annapolis at the age of 17 for a three-year course. At the age of 24, he retired from the Navy and devoted his attention to the study of electricity. He soon became chief electrician for the Westinghouse Electric Company. In 1891, his health took a turn for the worse and was only able to work as a part time consultant. He did continue his research at home in his laboratory in Rochester. He is best known as the inventor of the electric light meter. He passed away at the early age of 38., Major General Joseph H. Pendleton USMC , 1860-1942 , The man for whom Camp Pendleton, in California, is named was born and raised in Rochester. After he completed his high school education in 1878, he was appointed to the US Naval Academy, graduating in 1882. Pendleton served under Admiral George Dewey in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War and was known as the person that fired the last shot. During world war one, he was Commandant of Parris Island Marine Base in South Carolina. In 1923 he was promoted to Major General, and the following year retired. His parents, Joseph and Martha Jane, are buried in the Lacock Cemetery.