Editing Meadville, Pennsylvania (section)

===Industrial growth===
[[File:The Market House.png|thumb|alt=This Image shows another establishment of Meadville that animals would be auctioned off until it turned into a breakfast place|Meadville Market House]]
The [[League of Friendship, Mechanical Order of the Sun]], a fraternal beneficiary labor organization was formed at Meadville in April 1868, and dissolved in October, with the establishment of the [[Ancient Order of United Workmen]] as the succeeding organization.<ref name="Preuss1924">{{cite book |last1=Preuss |first1=Arthur |title=A Dictionary of Secret and Other Societies ... |date=1924 |publisher=B. Herder Book Company |page=231 |chapter=League of Friendship of the (Supreme) Mechanical Order of the Sun |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tK82AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA231 |access-date=October 26, 2024 |language=en}} {{Source-attribution}}</ref>

By the late 19th century, Meadville's economy was also driven by logging, agriculture, and iron production. The [[Talon Corporation]], headquartered in Meadville, played a major role in the development of the [[zipper]]. Since the clothing industry was largely unaffected by the [[Great Depression]], the community saw a population boom at that time. 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. However, as a result of the need for close tolerances and [[tool and die maker]]s, a [[cottage industry]] of tool and die shops was established which resulted in Meadville, earning the city the nickname Tool City with more tool shops per capita than any place else in the United States.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

In 1886, a [[blacksmith]] from [[Evansburg, Pennsylvania]], George B. DeArment, began hand-forging [[farrier]]'s tools and selling them from town to town out of the back of a wagon. The business eventually became known as the Champion Bolt and Clipper Company. In 1904, now named [[Channellock]], the company moved to a {{convert|12000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} facility in Meadville and added nippers, pinchers, and open-end wrenches to its product line. George B. DeArment's two sons, Almon W. and J. Howard DeArment became partners in the company in 1911 and expanded the product line again to include hammers. In 1923, the company moved again to a {{convert|33000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} facility at its current location. Four years later, the name of the company was changed to the Champion–DeArment Tool Company.<ref name="history">{{cite web |author= Channellock, Inc. |title= Company history|url=http://www.channellock.com/company/history.htm |accessdate= September 28, 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526060517/http://www.channellock.com/company/history.htm|archivedate=May 26, 2010}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.crawfordcountypa.net/Pages/Complete-History-of-Crawford-County.aspx|title=Complete History of Crawford County|website=www.crawfordcountypa.net|access-date=April 9, 2019}}</ref> By the early 1990s, Channellock and Dad's were the only large companies operating in Meadville. 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.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

In addition to the [[Meadville Downtown Historic District]], several buildings are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]: [[Baldwin-Reynolds House]], [[Bentley Hall]] (Allegheny College), [[Independent Congregational Church]], [[Dr. J. R. Mosier Office]], [[Roueche House]], [[Ruter Hall]] (Allegheny College), and [[Judge Henry Shippen House]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>