Crawford County Messenger and CCHS News

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John Heisman – Football Legend from Titusville

Coach John Heisman (center) with his 1909 Georgia Tech team. The name Heisman has become synonymous with the best in college football, however it is often forgotten that the man behind the trophy found his...
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The Magnificent McHenry House Part 2: Departures and Demises

GW Depot with McHenry House to the left in 1869 As with most establishments in the hospitality industry, success could not have been attained without competent management. The same holds true for the McHenry House,...
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The Magnificent McHenry House Part 1: A City Arrives

A crowd gathered to greet one of the inaugural A & GW trains. Note the Depot in the background. As time progresses forward it becomes increasingly difficult to imagine the grand structures that once dominated...
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Famous Allegheny – Big Names from a Small School

Bentley Hall, Allegheny College Nestled away at the top of the hill overlooking Meadville, Pennsylvania is Allegheny College which holds the title of 32nd oldest in the United States, having just celebrated it’s 200th birthday in...
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Healing and Luxury: A History of the Saegertown Inn

Front view of the Saegertown Inn with French Creek along left side. With the overwhelming interest in photographs of the Saegertown Inn recently posted on the Crawford County Historical Society’s social media pages, what better...
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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...
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The History of "Merry Christmas" vs. "Happy Holidays" in Crawford County

“Hold up there, Santa. How should we greet you?” Not so long ago I was admonished for wishing somebody a “Happy Holiday” instead of a “Happy Thanksgiving.” “I don’t celebrate ‘holidays,’” the person told me....
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Origins of the Crawford County Fair

Ohio race horses helped bring about the county fair With the excitement of the Crawford County Fair upon us, it’s worth taking a belated look at the origins of the what arguably is the county’s largest...
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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,...
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Fire Rode the Flood: Disaster in the Oil Region

A boy sits among the debris in Titusville For most of May and the early part of June in 1892, Northwestern Pennsylvania was soaked in a seemingly endless period of rain which culminated in four...
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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...
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7 Peculiar Tales from Conneaut Lake

From a 1907 postcard, Conneaut Lake’s main thoroughfare (Water Street) facing west. With summer now if full swing, many area residents and vacationers have already made their way to Conneaut Lake to enjoy the many...
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