Renovo is a borough in

Clinton County, Pennsylvania Clinton County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,450. Its county seat is Lock Haven. Clinton County comprises the Lock Haven, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also inclu ...

, United States, northwest of Lock Haven. In 1900, 4,082 people lived there, and in 1910, 4,621 lived there, but in the 2010 census the borough population was 1,228. The borough is located on the

West Branch Susquehanna River The West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the Northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is generally regarded as the ex ...

, and along Pennsylvania's

Bucktail State Park Natural Area Bucktail State Park Natural Area is a Pennsylvania state park in Cameron and Clinton Counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. The park follows Pennsylvania Route 120 for between Emporium (in Cameron County, which contains of the par ...

, centered on Pennsylvania Route 120, which winds through the surrounding mountains following the river. The town is the home of the "Flaming Foliage Festival" held each October, generally on the second weekend, celebrating the fall colors of the trees on the area's many mountains. The festival includes a parade and the crowning of a queen, usually chosen from one of the nearby high schools. The festival serves as a "homecoming" event for former residents of Renovo, many of whom return annually for the event. Various vendors from the surrounding areas sell food, clothing, and an array of novelties, memorabilia, and souvenirs. The economy of Renovo and the surrounding area was primarily based on

lumbering Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks

, until the first-growth forest was almost entirely stripped away, and the industry collapsed. There are also deposits of

bituminous coal Bituminous coal, or black coal, is a type of coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen or asphalt. Its coloration can be black or sometimes dark brown; often there are well-defined bands of bright and dull material within the coal seam, ...

and

fire clay Fire clay is a range of refractory clays used in the manufacture of ceramics, especially fire brick. The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines fire clay very generally as a "mineral aggregate composed of hydrous silicates of alumi ...

in the region.

History

Renovo was built for and by the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad as the midpoint between

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and

Erie Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

. The town was laid out on a mostly-flat flood plain along the West Branch of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

in North-Central

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, and was incorporated in 1866. Many of the buildings of what became the sprawling Railroad Shops complex were built before, during, and after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The Philadelphia and Erie Railroad, along with many other relatively smaller lines eventually became incorporated into the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

. The Pennsylvania Railroad was the largest corporation in the world with an annual GPO larger than the federal government, and is the only corporation in history to have paid out dividends due to its profitability for 100 years. Unlike most "rural" towns and residential areas, Renovo was laid out in an industrially-oriented urban grid with avenues given names of the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

, and "side streets" numbered from 1 to 16. Houses were mostly built close to one another or incorporated into row houses. Houses with larger lots allowing for big yards were a rare luxury. Before the town was completely built out, Renovo was known and advertised as a "resort town in the mountains". One can still find newspaper ads and brochures extolling the restorative mountain air, clean water, and outdoor activities such as

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

and

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

. There were several large hotels in the town well before the turn of the 20th century. The railroad made access to this remote area seemingly quick and effortless for those living in other cities which enjoyed railroad service. The town boasted dozens of bars and restaurants as well as churches which gave testimony to the forward-directed, optimistic, and vigorous energy which fueled the town's growth and development. Most institutions which one would find in a town of the era or today, such as a

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

schools A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of ...

taxi service A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

, shops, clubs, lodges,

fraternal organizations A fraternity or fraternal organization is an organized society of men associated together in an environment of companionship and brotherhood; dedicated to the intellectual, physical, and social development of its members. Service clubs, lineage so ...

professional services Professional services are occupations in the service sector requiring special training in liberal arts and pure sciences education or professional development education. Some professional services, such as architects, accountants, engineers, d ...

, and

sports teams A sports team is a group of individuals who play a team sport together. The number of players in the group depends on the sport. The highest level of a sports team is a professional sports team. In professional sports, the athletes are very t ...

, were established. The major employer was the Pennsylvania Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad shops. The shops were a massive complex, stretching from one end of town to the other, containing a 25 rail freight classification yard, service shops for diesel and steam locomotives, and even its own coal power plant. As long as the Railroad prospered, the town was a bustling center of activity. Some aspects of

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

business began to decrease as early as before World War II, but business surged back strongly during the War. However, further decline in demand for both passenger and

freight transportation Freight transport, also referred to as freight forwarding, is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been exte ...

via the railroad came with the building of the

St. Lawrence Seaway The St. Lawrence Seaway () is a system of rivers, locks, canals and channels in Eastern Canada and Northern United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North America, as far inland ...

, the building of the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

, the surge of automobile ownership and use, and the consolidation of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Shop facilities to other locations such as Pittsburgh and Altoona. The closing of the shops in the 1960s tolled the death knell for Renovo as an enterprising town with a future. Its present population is less than 2,000; it was once around 5,000. Many residents drive the two-lane, windy roads and I-80 to other towns for employment. There is also a substantial contingent of lifelong residents and transplants who are retired. The change in human activity over the years hasn't dimmed or substantially altered the natural environment of this Allegheny Mountain area of the larger Appalachian Highlands. In 1972, Renovo, along with many other parts of Pennsylvania were devastated by flooding and torrential rain from

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes was the List of costliest Atlantic hurricanes, costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, ...

, which stalled over the state, dumping up to 19 inches on parts of the state, and between 8 - 10 inches on Renovo. In the 1980s, Renovo was a pawn in a large scandal, which sought to defraud the

United States Government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

of millions of dollars. In 1983, a company called Chem-Con Corp. took over the vacant railroad shops after Berwick Forge & Fabricating, which made railroad boxcars, closed. Chem-Con made seasheds, which are containers used to transport military vehicles, for the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

. In 1986, Chem-con was first suspected of inflating costs to the government. The FBI began an investigation into Chem-com in the same year, and Chem-con was exposed for defrauding nearly $12 Million from the U.S. Government and Navy. In 1987, Chem-con filed for bankruptcy, and a company called American Coastal Industries resumed operations at the shop buildings, later going bankrupt too. This scandal and "false hope" for the town, bringing hundreds of the town's unemployed back to work, in addition to a fire that tore through the business district on Erie Avenue, was devastating for Renovo, adding many more to the jobless and money-tight residents, who would eventually leave town for better opportunities.

Renovo Energy Center

In early 2015, the Clinton County Economic Partnership announced that it would be working with Renovo Energy Center LLC. to plan out the construction of a new natural gas fired power plant on the site of the old Pennsylvania Rail Road shops across the tracks from Erie avenue. The project's original planned construction date was 2017 but has since been pushed back. The project is expected to bring over 500 construction workers to Renovo and offer around 30 full time jobs. In November 2020, Renovo Energy Center LLC. asked the Pennsylvania DEP to review and change their clean air license to "make its operations more efficient and the plant more attractive to investors". A Philadelphia-based activist group, the Clean Air Council, opposed the changes to the clean air license, posting their opposition on social media and mass mailing requests for public opposition to the plant. On April 29, 2021, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced the approval of the Renovo Energy Center project's air quality permit. After the permit's approval, Renovo Energy Center LLC contracted Letterle & Associates of Bellefonte, PA to conduct soil tests to assess the condition of the land. In on May 27, 2021, three environmental groups, Clean Air Council, Penn Future, and the Center for Biological Diversity, filed an appeal for the air quality permit, saying, "''The permit allows the power plant to emit hundreds of tons of noxious pollutants annually and more greenhouse gases than the City of Pittsburgh. Despite DEP recognizing that Renovo is an

environmental justice Environmental justice is a social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has gene ...

community, DEP failed to do the outreach required to community members before issuing the permit for one of the most-polluting facilities in Pennsylvania. The groups object to the permit on those grounds as well as the grounds that the permit allows unlawful levels of air pollution, that DEP ignored the costs to society in issuing the permit, and based on several other deficiencies spelled out in the Notice of Appeal. The groups said air pollution from the power plant would likely kill dozens of people over the course of the plant’s life and cost several billion dollars in impacts to health and communities. The power plant is being developed by Bechtel Corporation, a Virginia-based multinational engineering corporation. “Our members are deeply concerned about the very high levels of harmful air pollution from Bechtel’s enormous proposed power plant and the negative health effects it could have on our families and friends,” said Sue Cannon with Renovo Residents for a Healthy Environment. “This power plant is unwanted, unnecessary, and will provide no benefits to residents – only burdens."'' On August 29, 2022, the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board granted partial summary judgement. In this partial ruling, Chief EHB Judge Thomas W. Renwand had ruled that the DEP "''has provided no basis for selecting a higher

volatile organic compound Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic compounds that have a high vapor pressure at room temperature. They are common and exist in a variety of settings and products, not limited to Indoor mold, house mold, Upholstery, upholstered furnitur ...

emissions limit for the Renovo Energy Center facility''" and ruled in favor of the appellants. Following the ruling, REC project manager Rick Franzese stated, "The REC project remains viable so long as the appeal of the project’s air permit is favorably resolved." On April 14, 2023, Bechtel backed out of the proposed energy plant.
Maureen A. Ruhl
was the key player in the demise of the proposed billion-dollar natural gas-to-electricity power plant. Ruhl proclaimed she wasn't against the power plant itself, but the location which was anticipated to be less than a football field away from the residents' homes.

Geography

Renovo is located in north-central

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

at (41.327669, -77.749580), along the

, at the bottom of a gorge. South Renovo is directly across the river, on the south bank. The vicinity of the town is one of the least densely populated areas in the eastern U.S. and was featured as such in the book ''The Last Empty Places'' (2010), by

Peter Stark Peter Stark is a British conductor. He is currently Professor of Conducting at the Royal College of Music in London and Rehearsal Director of the European Union Youth Orchestra. Education and early career Stark studied violin and conducting at ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Renovo has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.48%, is water. Pennsylvania Route 120 passes through the borough, leading southeast (downriver) to Lock Haven, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

, and west then northwest up

Sinnemahoning Creek Sinnemahoning Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Cameron and Clinton counties, Pennsylvania, in ...

and its tributaries to Emporium.

Pennsylvania Route 144 Pennsylvania Route 144 (PA 144) is a state highway located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering a distance of about . The southern terminus is located near an interchange with U.S. Route 322 (US 322) at State Route 2015 (SR ...

crosses the West Branch from Renovo into South Renovo and leads southwest to

Snow Shoe Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footw ...

and

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

. PA 144 leads north to Galeton on

U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6) or U.S. Highway 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the United States Numbered Highway System. While it ...

. Airports and distances from Renovo: * Jersey Shore Airport - 54 minutes (43.1 miles) *

Williamsport Regional Airport Williamsport Regional Airport serves Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and the surrounding area with a population of roughly 200,000. The airport processes approximately 40,000 passengers annually and has served north central Pennsylvania since 1929. ...

- 1 hour 9 minutes (59.4 miles) *

University Park Airport State College Regional Airport, – formerly University Park Airport – is a public airport in Benner Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania, serving State College and Bellefonte. The airport covers 1,105 acres (447 ha) and has one active runw ...

State College State College is a borough and home rule municipality in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a college town, home to the University Park campus of The Pennsylvania State University. State College is the largest designated borou ...

, Pennsylvania - 1 hour 14 minutes (57.0 miles) *

Bradford Regional Airport Bradford Regional Airport is south of Bradford, in Lafayette Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania. It has scheduled airline service subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. The airport is owned by the Bradford Regional Airport Author ...

- 1 hour and 57 minutes (83.3 miles) * DuBois Airport - 1 hour and 39 minutes (89.2 miles) * Johnstown Airport - 2 hours and 24 minutes (135.0 miles) *

Harrisburg International Airport Harrisburg International Airport is a public airport in Middletown, Pennsylvania, United States, southeast of Harrisburg. It is owned by the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority., effective September 16, 2022 The airport code MDT r ...

- 2 hours and 37 minutes (145.8 miles)

Climate

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,318 people, 593 households, and 333 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 727 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 98.94%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.23%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.08% Native American, 0.08%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, and 0.68% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people of any race were 0.38% of the population. There were 593 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.7% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.94. In the borough the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $18,636, and the median income for a family was $23,854. Males had a median income of $26,328 versus $16,429 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the borough was $11,709. About 25.7% of families and 30.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 50.8% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.

Points of interest

Renovo is in the heart of the Pennsylvania Wilds which comprises twelve and a half counties (Warren, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Forest, Elk, Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming, Clarion, Jefferson, Clearfield and part of Centre) located in north-central Pennsylvania. This area contains over two million acres of remote, mountainous, and pristine lands located on state forest lands, state game lands, state park lands and public grounds that offer a wide variety of recreational opportunities. The Wilds has within it 29 state parks, eight state forests, 50 state game lands, abundant wildlife, several natural/wild areas, and miles of hiking trails and fishing streams. This region also contains the largest elk herd in the

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—eac ...

, stretching as far west as Ridgway and as far east as Renovo.

Community services

* The Renovo Fire Dept. formed after the merger of the Emerald hose company, and the West Branch Hose company. Later merging with the Fireman's Ambulance Service Team (F.A.S.T) to created renovo Fire Department Inc. / Renovo EMS * The Renovo Police Dept. * Bucktail Medical Center - Located in South Renovo * Family Practice of Renovo *Bucktail Area Middle/High School ( Chapman Township) *Renovo Elementary ( Chapman Township) * Advocates United for Humanity ( Chapman Township)

Notable people

Bill Friel William Edward Friel (April 1, 1876 – December 24, 1959) was an American professional baseball player. He played three seasons in Major League Baseball, as a second baseman, third baseman and outfielder. Friel began his career in the minor le ...

, former pro baseball player *

John Montgomery Ward John Montgomery Ward (March 3, 1860 – March 4, 1925), also known as Monte Ward, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher, shortstop, second baseman, third baseman, manager, executive, union organizer, owner and author. Ward, of English des ...

, Baseball Hall of Fame member

Gallery

File:522-530 Huron Avenue Renovo.jpg, Residences on Huron Avenue File:War memorial Renovo.jpg, Veterans' memorial includes a

Sherman tank The M4 Sherman, officially medium tank, M4, was the medium tank most widely used by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. I ...

. File:Row houses 14th Street Renovo.jpg, Row houses on 14th Street File:Renovo, PA from Susquehanna Ave.jpg, 16th Street Park From Susquehanna Avenue File:First United Methodist Church Renovo.jpg, First United Methodist Church and rectory File:First United Presbyterian Church Renovo.jpg, First United Presbyterian Church File:St. Joseph's Catholic Church Renovo.jpg, St. Joseph's Catholic Church File:Zion's Evangelical Lutheran Church Renovo.jpg, Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

References

Notes Sources
"Space and Society in a Railroad Town: The Making of Renovo, Pennsylvania 1863-1925"
* https://therecord-online.com/site/archives/74746 Activist

External links

Renovo community website
{{authority control Pennsylvania populated places on the Susquehanna River Populated places established in 1825 Boroughs in Clinton County, Pennsylvania 1860 establishments in Pennsylvania