First settled by Irish and Scotch Irish immigrants in the late 1780’s, Crawford County was created on March 12, 1800, from part of Allegheny County. Named for frontiersman Colonel William Crawford, Crawford is one of Pennsylvania’s largest counties. Meadville, the county seat, was named for its founder, David Mead, and was incorporated as a city in 1866. Corn and rye grew well from the start, and led to advanced livestock production. The opening of the Erie Extension Canal, part of which stretched from Erie to Lake Conneaut, helped in Crawford County’s expansion; the French Creek also proved a valuable asset, as lumber, wood products, and salt sailed from Crawford County to the market in Pittsburgh. Crawford County followed Drake’s 1859 discovery of oil in Venango County with an oil boon of its own, centered in Titusville. Later, the county was home to a thriving tool and die industry, tool manufacturing, and the Spirella Corset Company, which boasted a superior corset. Today, thirty-seven percent of the land is still farmed, and the streams and meadows which impressed George Washington in 1753 still attract the attention of those who visit Northwestern Pennsylvania.