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RenfrewPhoto: 0scillati0ons at English Wikipedia · Public domain
–Not graded
History · Renfrew

Renfrew dates to 1882, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers and maps from 1909 on.

1882founded
0on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Renfrew’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Renfrew began

When was Renfrew founded?

1882

Renfrew dates its founding to 1882 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). Its post office opened in 1884.

144 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1884.

What stands out about Renfrew’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Renfrew’s homes were built before 1940.On the map since 19094 editions of the USGS map, 1909 to 1969. Watch Renfrew change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Renfrew’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Renfrew’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo2 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewDavid Renfrew Oil Rig, East side of Con…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Renfrew, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Renfrew yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Renfrew is a small unincorporated village on the Connoquenessing Creek in Penn Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by David A. Renfrew in 1882 on his farm. It was once a booming oil town with a general store, a school, a post office, a gas station, and a Methodist church. In September 2004, Renfrew experienced massive flooding due to rainfall caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ivan. The Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad still runs materials to and from the AK Steel mill in Butler, through Renfrew along Railroad St. Once used by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, it was at one time a thriving railway that would travel down to Pittsburgh.

Renfrew was established in 1882.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

On the map

Renfrew on the map, 1909 to 1969

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Renfrew. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Renfrew on the 1909 USGS mapRenfrew on the 1911 USGS mapRenfrew on the 1958 USGS mapRenfrew on the 1969 USGS map1909Butler sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Renfrew.

By decade

Renfrew, decade by decade

Date unknown2 to date
David Renfrew Oil Rig, East side of Connoquenessing Creek, 0.4 mile North of confluence with Thorn CreekDate?David Renfrew Oil Rig, East side of Connoquenessing C…Heckert Oil Pumping Jack, 0.6 mile North of Connoquenessing Creek, 0.15 mile East of Powder Mill CreekDate?Heckert Oil Pumping Jack, 0.6 mile North of Connoquen…
Today4 recent
Post-Office-Renfrew2021Post-Office-RenfrewGrade-school-Renfrew2021Grade-school-RenfrewFormer-Renfrew-Methodist-Church2011Former-Renfrew-Methodist-ChurchRenfrew2007Renfrew
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

David Renfrew Oil Rig, East side of Connoquenessing Creek, 0.4 mile North of confluence with Thorn Creek
Retake this viewDavid Renfrew Oil Rig, East side of Connoquenessing Creek, 0.4 mile North of confluence with Thorn Creek

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Renfrew’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Renfrew

Nobody well known was born in Renfrew itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Washington RoeblingAmerican civil engineer · b. 1837
William EytheAmerican actor · b. 1918
Kitty McHughAmerican actress · b. 1902
A
Arda GreenAmerican biochemist · b. 1899
D
Disappearance of Cherrie MahanUnsolved disappearance of 8-year old American g… · b. 1976
S
Shirley Montag AlmonAmerican economist · b. 1935

Questions about Renfrew’s history

What year was Renfrew founded?

In 1882, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Renfrew’s post office opened in 1884.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (4), the Library of Congress (2) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.