Named after William P. Rend who served during the Civil War and later moved to Chicago and founded what was to become a small empire of railroads and coal mines, Rendville was born when he purchased a remote section of land in Perry County and began to develop coal mines. Rend built a general store, hotel, saloons, churches and whatever else his workers needed. Rendville flourished as a community and its population grew to 2,500. It wasn't the most orderly town in its early days. But by 1885 and as a result of the near collapse of the local economy, Rendville got religion. Times were desperate. Businesses closed including the mines. Prayer meetings were held and people began to read their bibles. The town survived until the depression hit in 1929. The town's population slowly began to decrease and by 1940 the decline was sufficient for all to notice. It would not recover. In the early 1980s, Rendville lost its post office and most of those that remained moved to larger cities. Submitted by Henry Chenoweth.