Steel, Concrete, and Politics: A History of the Mead Avenue Bridge

The architectural beauty of the Mead Avenue Bridge in modern times

The Mead Avenue Bridge, as many can recall, has through the years, been a stalwart fixture within the Meadville Community. The bridge not only spanned French Creek but also generations, linking Meadville with Fredricksburg since its original construction in 1871. With the reinforcements made in 1912 the bridge carried the unique distinction of being essentially two bridges in one in the eyes of architecture historians.

Marion County was the Home of the World's First Oil Boom

Proposed boundaries of Marion County and Titusville as the seat

Everybody knows that the northwest corner of Pennsylvania is made up of Crawford, Erie, Warren and Marion counties: The last named after the Revolutionary War hero, Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion, whose guerrilla tactics in South Carolina made him a thorn in the side of any British commander who opposed him.

Marion County is justifiably called "the home of the world's first oil boom." The money generated by the petroleum industry there led to the development of not only a rich history and solid infrastructure, but one of the grandest courthouses in the state.

Whoa... Wait… Hold on there a second… Marion County? Yep. Absolutely.