Grove City is turning 170 years old, and there’s a lot of history to celebrate in those years. The city has retained its historic Town Center while connecting new and old developments. For many of the city’s residents, including Mayor Richard L. “Ike” Stage, the history is personal.
“My family’s been a part of the history going back to the late 1800s when my great-grandfather was a town marshal,” Stage says. “So I am interested from a personal standpoint in figuring out again what were those things going on in the early life of this village.”
Though the city has commemorated its anniversary throughout 2022, the celebration crescendos in September. A slew of events, ranging from educational lectures to character actors at historical sites, will take place Sept. 9-18. The dates align with Ohio Open Doors, a statewide initiative supporting events that connect to Ohio history.
The Grove City events will highlight both the area’s past and ways to connect to it today.
“The thing we’re trying to do is show (people) the history of our city,” says Parks and Recreation Superintendent Kelly Sutherland. “There’s so many activities you can do that are historically related that people don’t even know.”
The September anniversary celebrations begin with a rededication of Sesquicentennial Park on Sept. 9. The Southwest Franklin County Historical Society will celebrate its 40th anniversary on Sept. 10, while the Gardens at Gantz, which includes one of the area’s oldest homes, will celebrate its 31st anniversary on Sept. 13.
Century Village will host a Civil War encampment recreation on Sept. 11. Throughout the year, Century Village – which includes a blacksmith shop, a reconstructed barn original to the Bob Evans farm, the city’s 19th century train depot and other historic structures – hosts several history-themed events.
Grove City’s oldest home, the Grant-Sawyer Home, will host a picnic on Sept. 17 with actors
portraying members of the family from across time. The home was occupied by descendants of the same family from the 1840s until it opened to the public a half-decade ago.
But the anniversary events are about more than just celebrating those who have a long history in the city.
“When you move to Grove City, you feel like you know everybody,” Sutherland says. “This history is an educational piece not only for the people who’ve been here for six generations but the people who’ve been here for six months.”
But due to the massive growth in the city, many residents are new to laying their foundation here. In the mid-20th century, the population hovered around 6,000 people, Sutherland says. As of July 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population to be 41,787. Stage points to a cyclical growth history that boomed in the latter half of the 19th century and again after each world war.
As the population has developed, so has the city.
Much of Grove City’s historic Town Center east of Broadway, comes from land purchased by Hugh Grant in the early 1800s. William F. Breck later bought a large portion of that land to plat and found Grove City in 1852. Adam Grant then made a significant westward expansion in 1889 with the development of Beulah Park west of Town Center.
The Columbus and Harrisburg Turnpike, connecting Columbus and Harrisburg, helped attract Breck to the area. That road has since become Broadway, and a number of other key routes have developed. Railroads eventually gave way to highways that changed the layout and connections in Grove City.
“I-71, when it came through, it created somewhat of a new barrier to the east,” Stage says. “Now, we’ve been able to join this with the west with the way we’ve upgraded White Road and Holton Road and put in Buckeye Parkway and so forth.”
That effort to maintain Grove City’s cohesion as time and development progress hasn’t ceased. Recent development at Beulah Park has intentionally honored the history of the Beulah Park racetrack, which opened in 1923 as Ohio’s first thoroughbred racetrack. Beulah Park Middle School took the bronco as its mascot, and local art and housing developments have paid tribute as well.
The 170th anniversary commemoration began in May with the opening of a Park Street extension that connects Beulah Park to Grove City’s historic Town Center. That served as a literal and symbolic connection between the city’s old and new developments.
“What we have not lost is the core city being our town center,” Stage says. “(It’s) like a living room in your house. It’s a place to gather.”
Town Center remains a cornerstone of Grove City. Not only does it reflect the area’s history, but it also hosts many staple events including the Summer Sizzle Concert Series and community festivals such as the Craft Distillers Festival, Wine and Arts Festival, Arts in the Alley and Mistletoe Market.
The Grove City Welcome Center and Museum is also located in Town Center and will host extended hours on Sept. 16 for the Arts in the Alley Music and Arts Festival.
Having that central connection, Stage says, helps unite Grove City.
“It’s not like a lot of towns where you have different neighborhoods that form their own personalities,” he says. “We consider ourselves one big neighborhood.”
Celebrating Grove City’s 170th anniversary serves as a way to bring the community together to honor both the city’s past and what residents are making from that history today.
“It’s still influencing us,” Sutherland says. “Our past is helping us prepare for the future.”
Cameron Carr is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at ccarr@cityscenemediagroup.com.
