Meadville, Pennsylvania

| pop_est_as_of = 2023

| pop_est_footnotes =

| population_est = 12361

| blank_name = FIPS code

| blank_info = 42-48360

Meadville is a city in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 13,050 at the 2020 census. The first permanent settlement in Northwestern Pennsylvania, Meadville is within of Erie and within of Pittsburgh. It is the principal city of the Meadville micropolitan area, as well as part of the larger Erie–Meadville combined statistical area.

History

Settlement and establishment

The Meadville area was the ancestral land of the Eriechronon people until the Iroquois Confederacy forced them out. Having been displaced from their ancestral lands in what is now Eastern Pennsylvania, the Lenape moved into the now unoccupied region. They formed an alliance with the neighboring Seneca, one of the five tribes that made up the Iroquois Confederacy, and other displaced Lenape. Under the leadership of Chief Custaloga, they founded the settlement of Cussewago. Custaloga's name first appeared in western Pennsylvania's history in George Washington's journal of 1754. When Washington arrived in the village of Venango (Fort Machault), Custaloga was in charge of the wampum of his nation. This wampum was a message that was sent to the Six Nations if the French refused to leave the land. Custaloga was the chief of the Munsee or Wolf Clan of Delawares and he also ruled over the Delawares at the town of Cussewago, at the present site of Meadville.

After Cussewago was abandoned, Meadville was laid out by William McArthur Sr. and settled on May 12, 1788, by a party of settlers led by David Mead. Its location at the confluence of Cussewago Creek and French Creek was only a day's travel by boat to the safety of Fort Franklin. The neighboring Iroquois and Lenape befriended the isolated settlement, but their enemies, including the Wyandots, were not so amiable. The threat of their attacks caused the settlement to be evacuated for a time in 1791. Around 1800, many of the settlers to the Meadville area came after receiving land bounties for service in the American Revolutionary War. Allegheny College was founded in April 1815 by Timothy Alden. Meadville became an important transportation center after the construction of the French Creek Feeder Canal in 1837 and of the Beaver and Erie Canal it connected to at Conneaut Lake and subsequent railroad development.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Meadville played a small part in the Underground Railroad helping escaping slaves to freedom. An event in September 1880 led to the end of segregation by race in the state's public schools. At the South Ward schools, Elias Allen tried unsuccessfully to enroll his two children. He appealed to the Crawford County Court of Common Pleas, and Judge Pearson Church declared unconstitutional the 1854 state law mandating separate schools for Negro children. This law was amended, effective July 4, 1881, to prohibit such segregation.

Industrial growth

thumb|alt=This Image shows another establishment of Meadville that animals would be auctioned off until it turned into a breakfast place|Meadville Market House

The League of Friendship, Mechanical Order of the Sun, a fraternal beneficiary labor organization was formed at Meadville in April 1868, and dissolved in October, with the establishment of the Ancient Order of United Workmen as the succeeding organization.

By the late 19th century, Meadville's economy was also driven by logging, agriculture, and iron production. The Talon Corporation, headquartered in Meadville, played a major role in the development of the zipper. Since the clothing industry was largely unaffected by the Great Depression, the community saw a population boom at that time. During World War II, the nearby Keystone Ordnance plant brought additional jobs to the area.

The high demand for zippers created favorable conditions for the Talon Company, and so became Meadville's most crucial industry. The company encountered significant difficulties after it was absorbed by Textron industries in 1968, eventually ending up bankrupt. However, as a result of the need for close tolerances and tool and die makers, a cottage industry of tool and die shops was established which resulted in Meadville, earning the city the nickname Tool City with more tool shops per capita than any place else in the United States.

In 1886, a blacksmith from Evansburg, Pennsylvania, George B. DeArment, began hand-forging farrier's tools and selling them from town to town out of the back of a wagon. The business eventually became known as the Champion Bolt and Clipper Company. In 1904, now named Channellock, the company moved to a facility in Meadville and added nippers, pinchers, and open-end wrenches to its product line. George B. DeArment's two sons, Almon W. and J. Howard DeArment became partners in the company in 1911 and expanded the product line again to include hammers. In 1923, the company moved again to a facility at its current location. Four years later, the name of the company was changed to the Champion–DeArment Tool Company.

Talon remained a major employer, along with the Erie Railroad, American Viscose Corporation (later known as Avtex Fibers), Channellock tools, and Dad's Pet Food. The area actually saw an increase in population during the Great Depression and the economy continued to grow past World War II. By the early 1990s, Channellock and Dad's were the only large companies operating in Meadville. This blow to the local economy was softened by a subsequent surge in light industry, mainly tool and die machine shops. The song "Bittersweet Motel" by Vermont jam band, Phish, was inspired when keyboardist Page McConnell left a wedding in Meadville and drove to the Pittsburgh Airport.

In addition to the Meadville Downtown Historic District, several buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Baldwin-Reynolds House, Bentley Hall (Allegheny College), Independent Congregational Church, Dr. J. R. Mosier Office, Roueche House, Ruter Hall (Allegheny College), and Judge Henry Shippen House.

Geography

Meadville is located at (41.642, −80.147).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Meadville has a warm-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Meadville was on July 9, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 31, 1948.

|source 2 = National Weather Service

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Meadville had a population of 13,050. The population density was 2,991.75 people per square mile (1,155.16/km<sup>2</sup>). The median age was 36.5 years. 18.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.7 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 5,330 households in Meadville, of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 29.1% were married-couple households, 24.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 37.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 42.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25, and the average family size was 2.90.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 11,063 || 84.8%

| Black or African American || 818 || 6.3%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 19 || 0.1%

| Asian || 111 || 0.9%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 7 || 0.1%

| Some other race || 159 || 1.2%

| Two or more races || 873 || 6.7%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 402 || 3.1%

Income and poverty

According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, for the period 2016-2020 the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $40,694, and the median income for a family was $52,255. About 19.6% of the population were living below the poverty line, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those 65 or over. About 49.2% of the population were employed, and 24.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher.

Arts and culture

A replica of founder David Mead's log cabin, the first permanent settlement in northwestern Pennsylvania, is located at Bicentennial Park along the banks of French Creek. The replica was built as a part of Meadville's Bicentennial celebration in 1988. The cabin is used as an educational resource for school tours and the general public.

The Market House is a prominent historical building located in downtown Meadville. It is the oldest continuously run market structure in the state of Pennsylvania, and still serves as a hub for local farmers. Farmers markets are still held on Saturdays.

Parks and recreation

Diamond Park is Meadville's central park and has been used for a variety of different purposes for over two centuries. In the 19th century, the park was used as militia drill grounds leading up to and during the Civil War. After the Civil War was over, Diamond Park became more open to the public with grass, statues, monuments and a gazebo. It is now used as a recreational park for the community.

Education

thumb|Bentley Hall on the campus of [[Allegheny College]]

Colleges

Meadville is the home of Allegheny College, a liberal arts college with approximately 1,700 students. Allegheny was founded in April 1815 by the Reverend Timothy Alden, a graduate of Harvard's School of Divinity. The college was historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church after 1833, although it is currently non-sectarian. The first class, consisting of four male students, began their studies on July 4, 1816, without any formal academic buildings. Within six years, Alden accumulated sufficient funds to begin building a campus. The first building erected, the library, was designed by Alden himself, and is a notable example of early American architecture. Bentley Hall is named in honor of Dr. William Bentley, who donated his private library to the college, a collection of considerable value and significance. In 1824, Thomas Jefferson wrote to Alden, expressing the hope that his University of Virginia could someday possess the richness of Allegheny's library. Alden served as president of the college until 1831, when financial and enrollment difficulties forced his resignation. Ruter Hall was built in 1853.

Meadville Theological School was established in 1844 by a wealthy businessman and Unitarian named Harm Jan Huidekoper. It moved to Chicago in 1926.

Primary and secondary

Public schools, all part of the Crawford Central School District, which covers the city:

Meadville Area Senior High School (grades 9–12)
Meadville Middle School (grades 7–8)
First District Elementary School (grades K-6)
Neason Hill Elementary School (grades K-6)
Second District Elementary School (grades K-6)
West End Elementary School (grades K-6)

Private/charter schools:

Crawford Christian Academy (grades K-12)
Seton Catholic School (grades K-8)
The Learning Center K-8 Independent School (grades K-8)

Notable people

Roger Alden, early settler, Holland Land Company resident agent 1795-1804
Meghan Allen, Playboy model
Henry Baldwin, Supreme Court justice, lone dissenter in the Amistad case
John Joseph Bittner, geneticist and cancer biologist, who studied the genetics of breast cancer
Journey Brown, Penn State running back and Cotton Bowl Classic MVP
Mary Ann Day Brown (1816-1884), wife of abolitionist John Brown
Sal Campfield, Major League baseball player
Cameron Carpenter, Grammy-nominated organistabe
Annie W. Clark (1843-1907), temperance leader
James Clark, Jesuit and president of the College of the Holy Cross
Ernestine Cobern Beyer, poet and children's author
George Washington Cullum U.S. Army general from the Civil War
Bill Daddio American Football Player, Coach, and Scout
John Dick, U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania
Samuel Bernard Dick, U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania
Lavantia Densmore Douglass (1827–1899), social reformer
Jack Dunn, Major League pitcher and Minor League Baseball team owner
R. Budd Dwyer, Treasurer of Pennsylvania from 1981 to 1987
Todd Erdos, Major League Baseball player
John Wilson Farrelly, U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 22nd congressional district from 1847 to 1849
Patrick Farrelly, U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district from 1823 to 1826
Randy Fichtner, former Offensive Coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers, graduate of Meadville Area Senior High
Charles Homer Haskins, historian, advisor to President Woodrow Wilson
Todd Holland, television and film director and producer
Carl Hovde (1926–2009), professor and dean during the Columbia University protests of 1968
Harm Jan Huidekoper, Holland Land Company resident agent, 1804-1836, land developer, Unitarian leader
Henry Shippen Huidekoper, Lieutenant Colonel of the 150th PA Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Awarded the Medal of Honor for meritorious service on July 1, 1863, at the Battle of Gettysburg
Emma Hunter, 19th-century telegraph operator
Lynn Jones, former Major League Baseball player
Robert F. Kent, former state representative and state treasurer
Virginia Kirkus, creator of Kirkus Reviews
Wade Manning, former National Football League player
Alexander S. McDill, congressman from Wisconsin
Ross A. McGinnis, US Army soldier who was killed in the Iraq War December 4, 2006, and was posthumously awarded the United States' highest decoration for bravery, the Medal of Honor.
Jack Michaels, National Hockey League radio and television announcer with the Edmonton Oilers.
Tammy Pescatelli, comedian
Branch Rickey, Baseball executive
Raymond P. Shafer, former governor of Pennsylvania
Michael S. Smith, jazz drummer and percussionist
Gladys Marie Stein, author and composer
Sharon Stone (1958-), actress
Gideon Sundback, member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his work on the development of the zipper
Jay Tessmer, former Major League Baseball player
Brenna Thummler, graphic novelist
Vicki Van Meter, record-setting child pilot
John K. Williams, Wisconsin state legislator
Andrew J. Yorty, Wisconsin state legislator

References

External links

Alfred Huidekoper's 1850 chronology