Pennville

Pennville, a community of about 700 people, is in the northwest corner of of the county, on Highway 1. This community has had more names than any other in the county. In 1836 Samuel Grissell named the little village, of which he was the proprietor, New Lisbon. For an unknown reason, he changed the name a year later to Camden. When applying for a government post office many years later, the name had to be changed as there was already a Camden. The name Penn was chosen in honor of William Penn, as many Quakers had settled in the area. Due to careless handwriting, Penn was often confused with Peru. It was decided to change Penn to Pennville. That solved the problem. It remains Pennville to this day.

Drive by the Chandlee/Maddox house on River Road/Lagro Street that was founded in 1841. It was built from brick burned on the nearby Miami Indian reservation, and is the oldest house in Pennville. It is currently a private residence.