From a seat on a bench in its beautiful village green called Diamond Park, Meadville feels more like New England than Pennsylvania.  The town was founded in 1788 by David Mead, who came from the eastern part of the state to explore the area, which in the late 1700’s was considered America’s frontier.  Many of Meadville’s early residents, including Mead, were pushing west towards the Western Reserve, which later became northeastern Ohio.  Until 1796 the Western Reserve was claimed by Connecticut, when it was purchased by a Connecticut land company, perhaps explaining the town’s distinctively New England feel.