Chardon and Chardon Township

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 s...