Beautiful green, of course, becomes "Belle Vernon" when translated into French , and that's the name Noah Speer chose for the community he founded along the Monongahela River in the early 19th century. It's also the name, more or less, that Noah's son Louis chose for the town up the hill he founded some six decades later: North Belle Vernon.
The two boroughs have a closely knit history, with one slight geographical anomaly: The dividing line between them also is the boundary separating Fayette (Belle Vernon) and Westmoreland (North Belle Vernon) Counties.
That situation is not as confusing as you might think. The presence of the county line, though apparently has thwarted some efforts at consolidation over the years, but the two boroughs have always cooperated in many aspects, particularly with regards to schools.
Years ago, North Belle Vernon had a 10-year school program, with students finishing their last two years at Belle Vernon High School. That building, constructed in 1920, still stands, vacant, on Market Street.
In 1946, the boroughs combined educational forces altogether with a jointure know as Vernon. And in 1951, surrounding communities (Fayette City Borough, and Washington Township) joined to form what originally was Bellmarette. In 1966, Bellmarette and Rostraver Township joined to become Belle Vernon Area School District. The first graduating class from BVA was the "Class of 1966."
At one point, students attended Bellmar High School, built in 1951, which is also still standing, unused, on Graham Street in North Belle Vernon. Rostraver High School was located where the bus garage is currently located.
