About 150 friends, relatives and residents turned out for a ceremony to change the name of the Beaver post office.

The building, erected in 1959, was dedicated last Thursday to honor the late Robert P. Linn, who served as mayor of Beaver for more than 58 years.

The postal facility at 777 Corporation St. is now the Robert P. Linn Post Office Building. A plaque made of steel with a black background and silver lettering was unveiled. It will be mounted soon, probably in the lobby.

Mr. Linn died on Aug. 22, 2004 at age 95. At that time, the Guinness World Records book listed him as the nation's longest-serving mayor.

Beaver Police Chief Daniel Madgar, who spoke at the ceremony, said Mr. Linn was "a gentleman's gentleman."

The renaming and dedication ceremony was held in the gazebo in Irwin Square, across the street from the post office.

"There was bunting and flags. It was very nice," said Tom Hamilton, who succeeded Mr. Linn as mayor.

Beaver is a "Main Street" town that has often been described as the kind of small town depicted in paintings by famed artist Norman Rockwell.

"Mayor Linn was part of that Norman Rockwell image," Mr. Hamilton said, and made many lasting improvements and contributions that kept that image alive.

For instance, Mayor Linn had said his proudest accomplishment was the borough's Streetscape project, completed in 2002. Utility poles on three blocks of Main Street were replaced with Victorian-style streetlights, and trees were planted.

Also, at Mayor Linn's urging, during Streetscape, parking meters were removed from the business district, though some officials expressed concern about lost revenue.

"He wanted to encourage people to come to the business district," Mr. Hamilton said. "The proof [that he was right] is our healthy business district. There is not one vacant storefront," and the trees have thrived and grown.

"Mayor Linn was progressive and wanted to be in the forefront of things," Mr. Hamilton said. "We had a tree commission early on and became one of the first towns to be a Tree City USA.

Chief Madgar met Mr. Linn in 1990 when he became a police officer. In Beaver's form of government, the mayor runs the police department.

"He was always very supportive and was always trying to improve relations with the public and police," said the chief, who said the mayor succeeded in that.

Mr. Hamilton said his predecessor was a Republican who got along with Republicans and Democrats alike, as evidenced by the fact that he was re-elected 14 times.

"I believe he might have had opposition once or twice, but usually it was just his name on the ballot," Mr. Hamilton said. "He got along with everyone. He knew how to network, and he could work out any problem with anybody."

The congressional bill to rename the post office was sponsored by former U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart, R-Bradford Woods, who attended the ceremony.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.