[10] When Washington arrived in the village of Venango (Fort Machault), Custaloga was in charge of the wampum of his nation.

[11] 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.

[citation needed] Around 1800, many of the settlers to the Meadville area came after receiving land bounties for service in the American Revolutionary War.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Meadville played a small part in the Underground Railroad helping escaping slaves to freedom.

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.

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.

In 1904, now named Channellock, the company moved to a 12,000-square-foot (1,100 m2) facility in Meadville and added nippers, pinchers, and open-end wrenches to its product line.

[15] 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.

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.

[18] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11 km2), all land.

[25] 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.

It is the oldest continuously run market structure in the state of Pennsylvania, and still serves as a hub for local farmers.

The building was constructed in 1843 by Heney Baldwin, an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, a few months before his death in 1844.

The first class, consisting of four male students, began their studies on July 4, 1816, without any formal academic buildings.

In 1824, Thomas Jefferson wrote to Alden, expressing the hope that his University of Virginia could someday possess the richness of Allegheny's library.

[32] Meadville Theological School was established in 1844 by a wealthy businessman and Unitarian named Harm Jan Huidekoper.