The borough of Rochester was incorporated in 1849 from Rochester Township. The area included in the borough was at one time within the borough limits of Beaver, but, after a short time (1802-1804), it reverted to New Sewickley Township and then was included in Rochester Township in 1840. The first settlers, including the Lacock, Reno, and Irwin families, came to Rochester just prior to 1800. Rochester's location on the river and its position as a railroad junction made it inevitable that the town would become the leading port in Beaver County.
The earliest historical record of the area involves the Mingo chief Logan, who maintained a hunting lodge at Rochester in 1770. Hence, "Logan's Town" and "Mingo Town" are among the earliest names of the town. Known variously as "East Bridgewater" (near the Beaver Division Canal locks), "Beaver Point," and "Fairport" (along the Ohio water front), Rochester's final name was bestowed upon the village around 1837 by a local merchant named Mitchell Hammond, and used officially in 1840 when Rochester Township was created.
The Beaver Division Canal, completed in 1834, led to the first development of the town. Initially, canal freight was loaded to and from river steamers at Bridgewater, but the locks were on the opposite shore thus giving an advantage to the future Rochester.
Water Street, along the Ohio River, became the business district, but plagued by frequent floods, the main street gradually moved to New York Avenue, then to Brighton Avenue. Born of canal and river traffic, Rochester was to flourish when the railroad arrived. Junction of two main lines of the Pennsylvania Railroad system (now Conrail), Rochester soon became host to as many as 50 passenger trains a day. The railroads attracted industry, and the latter part of the nineteenth century saw the community become a giant in the glass industry.
The twentieth century brought gradual decline to both manufacturing and transportation industries in Rochester, and today, the borough is mainly a community of homes. One of the town's leading landmarks, Kaufmann's Department Store, relocated to the Beaver Valley Mall in Monaca in the 1980's. It has been replaced by a Kmart and Giant Eagle grocery store. Major highway construction along both rivers has erased most evidence of the town's early business and industrial areas. Rochester Council is presently trying to improve the business district and there are talks of establishing a riverfront industrial area and park.