Rennerdale's origins as a town are connected to the railroad. A railway that followed Robinson's Run was known as the Panhandle Route, because it crossed the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. Connecting Pittsburgh with Cincinnati, Ohio, the railway was operated by the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (PCC&StL) and the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad. John W. Renner (b. January 1, 1845 in Petersburg, Pennsylvania - d. after 1915) was a comptroller for the latter company and for the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1895, 60 acres on the PCC&StL line near Pittsburgh were purchased, and employees of the railroad's Lines West Accounting Department founded the town, which was named Rennerdale in honor of the comptroller.