Meadville in the Making

(A&GW): How William Reynold’s determination to put Meadville on the railway map would bring Meadville to the world by transporting the products and goods we are still known for today. In turn the A&GW would bring the world to Meadville via immigrant laborers who left their cultural imprint on the community. Get that ticket to ride. We’re going off the rails on this crazy train. https://fcv...

Keystone View Company: where one local salesman’s vision to expand the use of stereoscopes lead not only to leisure and entertainment for its consumers, but also to major medical, educational and military advancements worldwide. Spanning 85 years in Meadville, the Keystone View Company brought far off worlds to Meadville while simultaneously promoting Meadville to the world. References: https://cr...

Mixing gilded age money with frontier moxie, Arthur Clarke Huidekoper was considered too western for Meadville and too eastern for the Dakota Badlands. Born into one of the wealthiest founding families of Meadville, his individual legacy is that as a creator of infrastructure through railroads, electric plants, public utilities and agriculture. The tangible imprint he left through his business and...

Part 2 of our sit-down conversation with local place-maker, Amara Geffen. Be sure to listen first to Episode 8: Are You Geffen Kidding? https://www.amarageffenstudios.com www.newspapers.com www.meadvilletribune.com

Part 1 of 2: If you’re even remotely familiar with the Meadville area you’ve probably witnessed not just one or two, but multiple public art works of this local artist. Her private studio work is part of a permanent collection of the Met in New York but it is small town connection and conversation that drives this passionate maker to create both figurative and literal public art pathways. Today we...

Considered to be the gem of our town, her facets hide stories of corruption, crime, romance, violence, the unbelievable, the remarkable and the downright charming. On today’s episode we travel through a timeline of our beloved Meadville Market House: where the legacy of making has been passed down for generations despite constant threats to turn her into a parking lot since her creation. To market...

In this episode, we dive into the life of Clarence Frederick Underwood, a Meadville-raised artist who became one of the most celebrated illustrators of the Golden Age of Illustration in early 1900s. From his parents' drug store along Chestnut Street, to the elite art academies of Paris, to his Manhattan studio, Underwood’s journey reflects the "creative-maker" spirit of Meadville that still exists...

 On today’s episode of Meadville in the Making we look at how a boy made in Meadville grew into a reformer who then carried the lessons of our hometown with him as he helped reshape cities, immigration, and democratic life across the nation. Ashley also really tries to make a case for the stage revival of Hello, Meadville a 1988 musical by Dr. William Holland Jr. Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of Ame...

 The story of one turn-of-the-century female minister  - trained right here in Meadville -  whose passion for social change, votes for women and female solidarity made her not just one half of a national powercouple but a change-maker in her own right. References: Miller, Kenneth. From Progressive to New Dealer: Frederic C. Howe and American Liberalism. The Pennsylvania State University Press, 201...

How one Meadville man created a chocolate chip empire, sold it, then started all over again that very same year in the same town with the same name, setting legal precedence along the way and sparking the unionization of local female factory workers. It’s a sweet ride full of chips and dips.  Autumn in Pennsylvania by Gertrude M. Laley courtesy of Crawford County Historical Society. Newspapers.com...

Meadville Distilling: Another iconic Meadville company, the makers of Meadville Rye Whiskey. If you don't know: Pennsylvanian Rye Whiskey is kind of a BIG deal both in the past and present. This is their story. References: Bates, Samuel P. Our County and its People .Boston: W.A.Fergusson, 1899. Evening Echo research courtesy newspapers.com  Fields, Laura. History of the Meadville Distilling Co...

The Spirella Corset Company: How a Meadville-created and based innovation revolutionized a physically restrictive garment industry while simultaneously empowering women in the workforce worldwide. Research Sources: Christie, Francis A. The Makers of the Meadville Theological School: 1844-1894. Boston: The Beacon Press, Inc, 1927. “Former Meadville Company Sold to Connecticut Firm.” Meadville Tribu...