Our History: From Rye to Revival
Cussewago Square stands on historic ground.
In 1860, Meadville’s first full-production distillery—Peifer & Richards—began operations on the site that now anchors the Square. After a series of ownership changes, the company formally adopted the name Meadville Distilling Company in 1885.
During the 1890s, the distillery underwent rapid expansion, constructing three massive brick warehouses—each seven to eight stories tall with over 3,300 square feet per floor, and 3 other large brick buildings:, a drying house, a fermentation house, and a barrel house. These buildings were among the largest in the region and put Meadville on track to become a major player in the national distilling industry. The warehouses were later torn down, but the other buildings still stand today.
In 1901, the company officially incorporated, and by 1905 had added a new brick distilling house, a drying plant, and a boiler house—doubling its production capacity.
Distilling to Decay
But in 1919, Prohibition changed everything. Meadville Distilling reorganized to produce ginger ale under the name French Valley Springs, but the venture failed, and operations ceased by 1924. Following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, local investors revived the distillery and resumed production of Meadville Rye in 1937. During this period, the high tower that now houses part of Cup n’ Spoon was constructed, replacing the pre-Prohibition warehouse.
Despite this brief revival, the distillery could not recover from the lasting effects of Prohibition. In 1947, Meadville Distilling closed permanently, and by 1951, all production had ceased. The site took on new life in the late 1950s as Race Street Lumber, a successful lumber yard that operated for several decades before closing. The property was ultimately abandoned in 1993, and for 30 years it deteriorated—its historic walls fading into silence.
A New Era
n 2022, the Crawford County Historical Society purchased the long-abandoned 7-acre property and began site clearing. A year later, in 2023, Rob and Nancy Smith, through their investment company RAN Investments, acquired the site and launched a full restoration effort, transforming the eight remaining buildings—including four original 1890s brick structures—into what is now Cussewago Square.
In 2024, RAN Investments expanded the project:
Acquiring the adjacent Neilson Warehouse and land, a 1-acre plot that was originally part of the distillery complex, the building built on the foundation of one of the large brick warehouses
Purchasing 7.5 acres along Cussewago Creek, making way for future hiking and biking trails
These restorations are ongoing, with the full Square opening in summer 2025, and additional renovations planned through 2026.
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