Meadville, PENNSYLVANIA - Water Street - 1925 - trolley tracks:  Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States.  The population was 13,050 at the 2020 census. The first permanent settlement in Northwestern Pennsylvania, Meadville is within 40 miles (64 km) of Erie and within 90 miles (140 km) of Pittsburgh. It is the principal city of the Meadville micropolitan area, as well as part of the larger Erie–Meadville combined statistical area.  Meadville was settled on May 12, 1788, by a party of settlers led by David Mead. Its location was chosen well, for it lies at the confluence of Cussewago Creek and French Creek, and was only a day's travel by boat to the safety of Fort Franklin.  In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Meadville played a small part in the Underground Railroad helping escaping slaves to freedom. An event in September 1880 led to the end of segregation by race in the state's public schools. At the South Ward schools, Elias Allen tried unsuccessfully to enroll his two children. 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. This law was amended, effective July 4, 1881, to prohibit such segregation.  By the late 19th century, Meadville's economy was also driven by logging, agriculture, and iron production.  This White Border Era postcard, mailed in 1925, is in good condition.  H. A. Shafer News Co.  Pittsburgh, Pa. No. 21.