Lake City Borough’s original name in 1850 was Girard Station because it was a little more than a railroad stop. The Lake Shore Railroad was responsible for the naming. It was named Milesgrove after James Miles, a wealthy early settler, and it was a popular picnic site in a grove near the depot. The name was again changed in the early 1900’s to the Village of North Girard because some citizens believed a town with the word “Grove” in its name would never amount to anything. In 1925 it was officially made a borough. A petition was circulated in 1953 requesting North Girard Borough and it was officially changed in it June of 1954. Discussions were held in 1994 on changing the name back to Milesgrove. The change was defeated.
The population in 1890 was 570 compared to today’s population of 2,811. North Girard Borough Council held their first meeting at the Lake City Fire Company Fire Hall on January 11, 1926. The Fire Company was established in 1923. The Council set the first tax rate at 15 mills and the first employees were hired in February and April of that year and paid $1 a year. The first police officer was hired in October at a pay rate of $50 a year and a uniform was furnished at a cost of $51.27. In June, 1927 a peddler’s permit was issued to a medicine show at a cost of $5.00 per night. In 1935 a $7,350 bid was accepted to purchase a 100,000 gallon water tower which was completed in 1936. It was demolished in 2001 after the water system was upgraded.
In September 1964, 1,020 students started classes at Elk Valley Elementary. The school sustained damages totaling $2,000,000 on September 18, 1977, when a tornado hit, which also caused $3,000,000 in damages to the town. A major renovation project at the school was completed in 1999. The former Lake City elementary school, built in 1901, was no longer in use and demolition began in 1966 to convert the building into a municipal complex. The building was completely demolished in 2001 after construction was completed on a New Municipal Building.
In 1976 Bicentennial celebrations were held throughout the year including a square dance, a quilt raffle, Miss UFO pageant and Sunday in the Park. The UFO landing site was created at the entrance of Community Park and captured worldwide attention. The Bicentennial Quilt can be seen at the Hazel Kibler Memorial Museum in Girard. A Conrail Train derailment occurred in April of 1985 causing debris to scatter for miles along the railroad tracks. After thirteen years of planning, seventy-five years of having a Secretary and Treasurer came to an end with the hiring of the first Borough Manager in 2001.
