In 1788, David Mead and nine companions established the first settlement, Cussewago, on the present site of Meadville. The town grew slowly at first, but business was stimulated by the arrival of the canal and the railroad. The young town did not want for culture as two colleges, a theater, a library, and an art association were established. By 1910, downtown business buildings crowded out residential holdouts, streets were paved and lighted by electricity,...