The name Chardon, a French word meaning thistle, was adopted
by the township and settlement of Chardon around 1812 in
tribute to the owner of extensive local land holdings. Peter Chardon
Brooks, a wealthy Boston merchant, deeded land for a village square
modeled after the town plans of many New England villages on the
condition that the inhabitants would use his middle name to identify
the locale and establish the place as the seat of government. Although
Brooks never visited the area, he supported the town by providing a
large bell to the first church built. Chardon was soon selected as the
site of county government for the newly established Geauga County,
a territory that then encompassed today’s Geauga and Lake Counties.
Sitting atop a wooded hill amid a forested and rolling landscape, the
town and its surrounding area developed first as a farming community,
gradually becoming a commercial center, and then a bedroom
community. Long known for its significant snowfall, Chardon is
recognized as an excellent place to raise families and educate children.