Life and Customs in Meadville, 1842

Meadville's Diamond Park as it may have looked in the early 1800s

In the central part of a letter headed Meadville, Dec 18th, 1842, my great, great grandmother Agnes Kennedy (née Craig), described her life in Meadville for her sister Elizabeth, back in their birthplace of New Cumnock in Ayrshire, Scotland.[1] In May 1842, aged 17, she had eloped with John Kennedy, a 27-year-old merchant (also from New Cumnock), and been married in Edinburgh.[2] Shortly afterward they were at the port in Glasgow, where they boarded the ship Congress, which arrived in New York on July 1.[3]

Meadville's Other Major College

The Unitarian College, 1908

From the mid 1800’s up through the early 1900’s Meadville had not just one college in the city, but two--Allegheny College and the Meadville Theological School. This was unique as most other cities in Pennsylvania at the time were lucky to boast one school of higher learning if any. While Allegheny College still exists and is flourishing within the community the same cannot be said about the Meadville Theological School it was closed here in 1926, but it lives on as part of the Meadville-Lombard Theological School of the University of Chicago.

Mary Jane Tryon’s Intriguing Quilt

Mary Jane Tryon

Somewhere in the 1840's, Mary Jane Tryon made a quilt. As she sat piecing together the small, intricate blocks, she could never have imagined the impact her quilt would have 168 years later.

Mary Jane Tryon married late in life, she was 27. She married Warner Waid, had two little girls and was dead by 36. She rests peacefully in the Waid family plot in the little cemetery in Tryonville. Her husband lived another nine years, leaving their two daughters, Christina and Alice, to be raised by maiden aunts. While this is an interesting bit of family history, our tale doesn't start here. It does not begin until 2008.

Meadville is a quaint town nestled among the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. Like most of Pennsylvania, it has long historical roots that date back to early settlements in the 1700's. The Crawford County Historical Society takes an active role in the community, part of which is preserving and protecting one of its most valuable assets, the Baldwin Reynolds House Museum. This three-story, 23 room mansion was built in 1843 by US Supreme Court Justice, Henry Baldwin. Our story starts in a closet within this stately home.

Shadows of the Past

On December 7, 2015, the Crawford County Historical Society took ownership of the James and Elizabeth Tarr Mansion, thus saving it from planned demolition. In that moment, thanks largely to the support of the community, the society took a major step towards both preserving our past and building a new future.

This gorgeous Italianate building, designed by Francis Marion Ellis and paid for with the Tarr Family's $2 million (over $35 million today) in revenue from the Oil Boom, was a testament to oil's influence in our region and the nation as a whole. The Tarrs were one of our country's first oil barons and their home of over 12,000 square feet will stand the test of time to become the self-sustaining Crawford County Historical Society's headquarters and history center!

Eleanor Davies and Recollections of Life at the Baldwin-Reynolds House

The Baldwin-Reynolds visible from the pond in the spring months

Eleanor Davies is one of Meadville's oldest residents and was a personal friend of John and Katherine Reynolds. She was the speaker at the museum's 50th anniversary gala where she presented these remarks on the life of the last individuals to reside in the Baldwin-Reynolds House as a private home.

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In 1936 John Reynolds, then President of Merchants National Bank, had conducted a search for what was called a "cashier" of the bank. He located and hired John David Bainer of the National City Bank in Cleveland and a resident of Lakewood, Ohio. John and his lovely wife, Otelia, packed up and moved to Meadville where they were welcomed by Kathryn and John Reynolds and members of the bank board families.

In 1939 when I was living in Shaker Heights, [Ohio] and dating Joseph Bainer of Cleveland, I was invited to come to Meadville and meet his parents and his sister, Mary and niece, Nancy. I was 19 and we went to see Gone with the Wind.

Two Fires: Demise of the Cullum House

When fire damaged the three-story apartment house at 390 Liberty Street in January of 2014, many were surprised to learn it was nearly 200 years old and had survived a similar fire 70 years ago.

The original one-story brick Meadville Academy building was constructed on the lot and opened in 1805. It was replaced by a frame building at the southeast corner along Clinton Court, the present location of the former St. Brigid school. The second building was outgrown as well so anew Academy was built on Market Street in 1826. The Cullum family bought the lot from the trustees of the Academy in 1824 and built this mansion in 1828.

Old Grey: The Tale of the Reisinger Rifle

Roe Reisinger in 1920

Editor’s Notes:

James Monroe ("Roe") Reisinger’s family came to the French Creek area from Lancaster via Beaver County. Descended from Hessian immigrants who arrived about 1750, the family settled in the 1840s along French and Sandy Creeks. Peter, Roe’s grandfather, was both a blacksmith and a whitesmith. The boys were encouraged to pursue advanced education and Peter’s son Charles moved to Meadville so that his children could attend the Academy. Three of the boys attended Allegheny College. 

At the outbreak of the War of the Rebellion, James Monroe "Roe" enlisted in the 150th Regiment, Company H, and at Gettysburg was severely wounded while serving under color-Sergeant Samuel Peiffer. Following his nearly year-long hospital stay (until a bullet could be extracted from his knee), he was assigned to Company B of the 14th Reserve Corps and later served as an officer of the 114th US Colored Troops in Texas until 1867. Resigner was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by special act of Congress for his action at the McPherson barn at Gettysburg.